No agreement on Sde Teiman leak probe, Levin says, telling court AG rejected his proposal

Justice Minister Yariv Levin tells the High Court of Justice that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has rejected his proposal to reach an agreement over who will oversee the criminal investigation into the Sde Teiman video leak affair.

Because Baharav-Miara previously oversaw an internal probe of the leak by the Military Advocate General’s Office, Levin says she has a conflict of interest over the matter. He appointed State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula to have ultimate authority over the investigation in her stead.

The attorney general has resisted that appointment, and liberal government watchdog groups petitioned the High Court against it, insisting that State Attorney Amit Aisman, Baharav-Miara’s choice, be in charge.

Levin, in an update to the court, says he proposed that another public official be chosen by the court to work alongside Kula to oversee the criminal investigation, and that they share  authority over the probe.

The justice minister also proposed workarounds to a clause in the law barring the state ombudsman for judges from having any other role, which ostensibly would black Kula.

Levin says that the Attorney General’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office did not accept the proposal. He calls on the court to reject the petitions against his decision and allow Kula to oversee the investigation.

“Any other result would be a cover-up of the truth and an irreparable loss of public trust in the law enforcement system,” says Levin.

Baharav-Miara has yet to file her response to the court.