Ben Gvir reportedly holding off on naming replacement for senior cop under investigation

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is reportedly declining to name an acting replacement for a senior cop under criminal investigation until it becomes clear to him the probe is legitimate.

Sources close to Ben Gvir tell the Kan public broadcaster that the minister has “no faith in the Department of Internal Police Investigations” conducting the probe “in light of its transformation into the attorney general’s private police.”

The DIPI, which operates under the State Prosecutor’s Office to investigate police suspected of criminal offenses, has come under fire from Ben Gvir and other coalition lawmakers, who are trying to pass a bill to dissolve the agency and re-establish a similar body under the direct control of the Justice Ministry.

Ben Gvir and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara have clashed over numerous issues throughout his term in office.

The unnamed officer under investigation, who bears the rank of deputy commissioner and is one of the highest-ranking cops in the country, is suspected of breach of trust and abuse of authority.

He was detained last night for questioning under caution and released after an hours-long interrogation session.

Investigators are holding onto his phone and have forbidden him from approaching police facilities and interacting with others involved in the affair.

Ben Gvir reportedly spoke to the suspected officer’s wife this morning to make it clear he presumes her husband’s innocence, Kan reports.