High Court restricts who Levin can appoint to oversee Sde Teiman leak probe

The High Court of Justice places strict limits on Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s discretion in selecting a public official to oversee the investigation into the Sde Teiman video leak, due to concerns about the involvement of a politician in the criminal investigation process.

In a unanimous ruling, Justice Yael Willner says that when transferring the attorney general’s authority to oversee a criminal investigation to an external public official, that official must have a senior rank, be an expert in legal affairs, and have professional work closely connected to criminal investigations or prosecutions.

This authority cannot be transferred to a public official who has any political affiliations, either in the past or present, writes Willner, adding that the minister cannot transfer these authorities at all when the subject of the investigation is a political figure.

The ruling also implies that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara may be able to return to manage the Sde Teiman leak case once her potential conflict of interest in the case is resolved, saying its decision is in effect “until the [legal] restriction is removed.”

Likud MK Avichai Boaron, who petitioned the court against Baharav-Miara’s involvement in the investigation, describes the ruling as “a great victory for everyone for whom the truth and justice are important,” and says that the court upheld his contention that the justice minister was the only authority empowered to appoint a supervisor for the investigation in the current situation.

Levin has not yet responded to the ruling.