Commander of army HQ indicted for giving cushy jobs to friends’ kids
Under plea deal, Col. Yigal Ben Ami to be convicted of breach of trust, conduct unbecoming an officer and illegal use of IDF property, but escapes corruption charges
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJudah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
The commander of the Israeli military’s Tel Aviv headquarters reached a plea deal with prosecutors on Sunday under which he would be found guilty of breach of trust, but would escape the larger charge of corruption that he had been facing, the army said.
Allegations against Col. Yigal Ben-Ami, who has served as the commander of the army’s headquarters, known as the Kirya, came to light in August, when he stepped down suddenly after three and a half years in the position.
According to the military, Ben-Ami is suspected of helping the children of his friends and business partners get better positions within the military and better service conditions. He is also believed to have used military vehicles for personal use and to have ordered his soldiers to conduct personal errands on his behalf.
As part of a plea deal, Ben-Ami will be charged with breach of trust, conduct unbecoming an officer and illegal use of military property for non-military purposes.
He will not, however, face the greater charge of corruption, which he likely would have had he not accepted the plea deal.
In exchange for pleading guilty, Ben-Ami will be demoted in rank from colonel to major. He will serve 100 days in prison performing military labor, pay a fine of NIS 22,000 ($6,090) and be put on probation, the army said.
“The IDF must preserve the integrity of those in its ranks and it will continue to act in order to implement this principle and to bring to justice those who fail in their conduct,” the army said in a statement.
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