AG said to demand police probe amid conflicting claims in state comptroller vote scandal

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has reportedly instructed police to probe the conflicting statements from the Likud party and MK Sharren Haskel about the contentious Knesset vote for the next state comptroller.

Haskel, whose New Hope party merged with Likud last year, testified that lawmakers were instructed to film themselves voting for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s preferred candidate, his longtime attorney Michael Rabello — though it is meant to be a secret ballot — after Rabello fell short in the first round of voting.

Some MKs were seen holding their phones as they went to vote for the next state comptroller and the High Court froze Rabello’s appointment, ordering a new vote to assuage concerns over the process.

The Likud party meanwhile disputed Haskel’s testimony on the vote, and claimed there was no order for lawmakers to document themselves voting.

According to Hebrew media reports, Baharav-Miara is ordering police to further investigate which statement is true, and to explore the possibility of a criminal probe of whoever is found to be lying.