New info on Galant land affair may delay appointment
State Prosecutor's Office tells High Court new findings regarding real estate affairs may delay Galant's appointment as new IDF chief of staff
Will the High Court of Justice delay the appointment of Yoav Galant as the new IDF chief of staff? The State Prosecutor's Office announced to the High Court on Monday that information received by the State Comptroller's Office regarding Maj.-Gen.Galant's land dealings contains new data that were unknown to the state when it opposed a High Court petition by the Green Party against appointing Galant next chief of staff.
A week ago the justices instructed Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to specify what steps have been taken regarding the 350 square meters of public land(.086 acres) that were added to Galant's property at his home in Amikam. The court also demanded a specific schedule listing exactly when this issue will be taken care of.
A letter signed by State's representative, Attorney Einat Golomb, said that following previous discussions on the case, the State Comptroller's Office announced it has received new information regarding the land affair, which it is willing to pass on if asked to do so.
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss did in fact pass along his findings on Sunday to the State Prosecutor's Office, according to the letter. "The investigation has yet to be completed… There is supposedly new data regarding the issue which were not known to those involved, including the State Prosecutor's Office and the attorney general," is said.
In light of this development, Attorney General Weinstein has requested that Lindenstrauss complete the investigation as quickly as possible.
The State Prosecutor's Office also said that Weinstein has requested to submit to the court an update regarding the investigation by February 1, prior to Galant's appointment as the new IDF chief of staff.
Judicial officials estimate the development will delay the appointment.
The Green Party charged that Galant had built a private parking lot and two access roads to it on public land, had extended his homestead plot by 350 square meters, had received an allotment of 35 dunams of agricultural land from the Israel Lands Authority (ILA) when none of the other "late-comers" to the moshav had received any land, and that he had unilaterally taken over an adjacent plot which did not belong to him, and had extended his private garden by "annexing" nearby public land.
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