Government watchdog says Bennett’s new chief of staff didn’t finish cooling-off period

The Movement for Quality Governance is opposing the appointment of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s incoming chief of staff Eden Bizman and requesting his immediate termination from Bennett’s staff, on the claim that Bizman has not completed his legal cooling-off period in between sensitive posts.

Bizman, according to the Prime Minister’s Office, has been serving as deputy director general of the Prime Minister’s Office for the past year and a half. Previously, he was deputy director general in the State Comptroller and Public Ombudsman’s Office.

The concern stems from the fact that Bizman audited the Prime Minister’s Office in his previous role, and despite receiving permission from the State Comptroller’s Office to join Bennett’s staff, the appointment may be inappropriate.

Generally, officials in the State Comptroller’s monitoring capacities require a two-year cooling-off period before joining any bodies over which they had oversight responsibility.

The Movement says it received a response from the state comptroller claiming that Bizman “did not deal with auditing as part of his role.” However, the Movement said that it received an opinion from the state comptroller’s legal counsel that found that Bizman “dealt with matters tied to the Prime Minister’s Office while executing his role.”

“Bizman, who according to the opinion of the legal adviser to the State Comptroller’s Office dealt with auditing matters connected to the Prime Minister’s Office and currently exercises authority in the Prime Minister’s Office without a cooling-off period, is nevertheless being promoted to a senior role within the Prime Minister’s Office – a role in which he’s expected to deal with core interests to the Prime Minister’s Office,” the Movement’s letter to Bennett and State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman reads.