Likud MK says Gil Sheffer exoneration proof that police need limits

Likud MK David Amsalem says today’s closure of criminal investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former chief of staff is proof of the need for his proposal to prevent police recommending indictment against public officials.

The Tel Aviv district prosecution announced that the case against Gil Sheffer would be closed due to a lack of evidence.

Gil Sheffer, who held the top post in the Prime Minister’s Office from May 2012 to July 2013, was named last year as the suspect in a case involving allegations of sexual assault. Police recommended indicting him in January.

“Since then he has been slandered again and again by the media and his innocence has been unfairly taken from him. Today, it became clear that the whole thing ended in nothing,” Amsalem says in a statement.

“This is exactly the reason that I am asking to end the distortion and prevent the police from publishing recommendations that damage the reputations of innocent people even before their cases have been clarified,” he says.

For investigations against public officials, the State Prosecution is tasked with deciding whether to press charges or not, based on the investigation carried out by the police. Amsalem’s bill could keep the police from being able to recommend whether to indict or not at the end of an investigation.

Earlier today, police chief Roni Alsheich slammed the proposal, saying, “It is impossible to publish the results of the investigation without summarizing it.”