Galant: Race to condemn me
Photo: IDF Publicity
Galant: Comptroller probed affair in secret
Slighted general says he is victim of 'unprecedented media battle' intended to incite against him
General Yoav Galant filed a response with the High Court of Justice Wednesday to the petition filed against him by the Green Party, which led to the loss of his nomination for IDF chief once it was revealed that he had, indeed, stolen public land.
In his response, Galant lashes out at State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein. He also claims that he has been plagued by "an unprecedented media battle and atrocious propaganda intended to incite the public against him and those who supported him".
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The general accuses the comptroller of holding a secret investigation against him without informing the court or government, which he claims were solely responsible for probing the affair from the time in which the petition was filed against him.
"This investigation was against the law and constitutes an overstepping of authority by the state comptroller. This type of investigation is void in principle because it is not only a fight over authority between the comptroller and the attorney general, but also an invasion of the sole jurisdiction of the court," the response says.
"In any case, it is clear that this almost certainly illegal action by the comptroller at the very least created an impossibly pressured and unfair time schedule that harmed my basic rights."
Galant also claims that the "competition" between authorities concerning his case led to a race to his condemnation and exposed the affair to two separate probes aimed at ruining his reputation.
"It is no secret that various groups joined together in order to prevent Galant's appointment as IDF chief, including army rivals of his as well as the defense minister, offended neighbors from Amikam, the Green Party, journalists, and news publications," the response to the court says.
His attorneys claim that the authorities' manner of handling the affair is "far more shocking and dangerous than any flaw claimed to exist in Galant's behavior".
They also decried the fact that they had been given just two days to respond to the allegations against their client, which were transcribed on a 27-page document and thousands more on CDs.
Meanwhile left-wing activists have filed a petition against Major-General Yair Naveh, who is set to serve as acting IDF chief for up to 60 days while Defense Minister Ehud Barak chooses a different candidate.
The petition accuses Naveh of war crimes for ordering targeted killings in the West Bank, which claimed the lives of innocent people. The petition, filed Wednesday, calls on the court to issue orders against the nomination.
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