Police Error Leads to Citizen's Accusation After Mishandling Investigation Files

An Israeli citizen who requested his investigation files was mistakenly given documents, including photos and videos, from another case. The citizen claims he immediately reported the error, but the police later accused him of delaying his notification. According to a report in Israel Hayom, the Commissioner of Public Complaints against State Representatives in Courts, retired Judge Menachem Finkelstein, found the citizen's complaint to be justified.

The files were transferred to the citizen's private storage device after his case was closed under a settlement agreement. The report indicates that the citizen's own case files were mixed with unrelated materials. The citizen stated he has recordings of his immediate report of the mistake, yet his lawyer later received a letter alleging a delayed report.

The Commissioner's decision noted that the conversations were not properly documented, contributing to a six-month delay in acknowledging the error and misdirecting criticism toward the citizen. The responsibility for verifying the materials before they are handed over lies with the prosecution, not with the recipient of the mistakenly transferred files.

In response to the Commissioner's office, the prosecution admitted that the files were transferred in error and stated that procedures have been reinforced. The Commissioner recommended drawing lessons from the incident and clarifying responsibilities among additional prosecution officials.