AG said to want to hear from police commissioner candidate on alleged building irregularities

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has said that she will need to hear directly from Police Deputy Commissioner Avshalom Peled about allegations over his former conduct before making a recommendation as to whether he should be appointed police commissioner, Hebrew media reports.

Baharav-Miara made her comments in a brief to the Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Officials in the Civil Service, which is currently considering Peled’s candidacy for the position after he was nominated by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Parts of the attorney general’s brief were leaked to the press, which reported that she refrained from telling the committee whether she supported Peled’s appointment since she wishes to first hear what he has to say over an incident in which he was questioned by the Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) over building irregularities at his home.

According to a report in Haaretz, Peled repeatedly contradicted himself in testimony he gave to DIPI over the allegations.

In her brief to the advisory committee, Baharav-Miara reportedly stated that a police commissioner should be able to serve as a role model and be free from any blemish.