Gal Hirsch won’t tolerate ‘prolonged vetting process’ for police chief

Would-be Israel Police chief Gal Hirsch is not willing to endure a drawn-out nomination process, sources close to him said Sunday, even as Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan moved to extend the vetting process in light of corruption allegations against a company associated with Hirsch.

The Israeli government was expected Monday to confirm Erdan’s request to extend the tenure of Acting Police Commissioner Bentzi Sau in order to continue Hirsch’s vetting process, given that the Israel Police and the FBI were investigating possible illegal business activities.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein on Sunday gave his blessing to the extension, Israel Radio reported. The 45-day process could be shortened if no impediments to Hirsch’s appointment are found, but was expected to continue at least until mid-October.

Sources close to Hirsch said he was not intending to wait through a long inquiry, and said that “he will take action” if the process drags on, Channel 10 reported.

Meanwhile, police sources said that the delay in the nomination was causing significant damage to the organization, Channel 2 reported. Former senior police officers had slammed the Hirsch pick even before the revelations of suspected wrongdoings.

The Haaretz daily reported earlier Sunday that the police had spent two years sitting on files from the FBI about alleged corruption, without pursuing an investigation into Hirsch.

Details of the investigation, which apparently centers on a business linked to Hirsch, only came to light after his candidacy was presented to Weinstein last week.

The attorney general is set to review the information and then form a legal opinion on Hirsch’s nomination.

Hirsch insists he is innocent of wrongdoing, and claims the accusations of corruption are intended to scupper his nomination.

“My business activities are legal and supervised,” Hirsch reportedly told associates last week. “They are telling tales about me.”

The investigation reportedly involves dealings by Hirsch’s Defensive Shield Holdings company with the Georgian government, and a British court’s request for information in a corruption case involving former Georgian defense minister Davit Kezerashvili.

Documents and audio recordings provided by the FBI point to possible tax evasion and bribery by Israeli businessmen as they put together arms deals in Africa, Europe and South America.

Defensive Shield Holdings, of which Hirsch is the CEO, is an “internationally recognized provider of strategic, operational and tactical solutions for the defense, security, and homeland security sectors around the world,” according to its website.

Haaretz reported that although Erdan still backs Hirsch to be police commissioner, he is preparing for a turn of events in which the alleged dubious nature of deals conducted by Hirsch’s company force him to find another candidate.