Police HR chief under investigation for rigging public tenders

The Justice Ministry’s Police Internal Investigations Department announced Friday that the head of the Israel Police’s human resources department is suspected of fraud and breach of trust.

Department head Maj. Gen. Gila Gaziel is suspected of improperly granting tenders to outside companies for various police events between 2014 and 2015, the PIID said.

According to the Haaretz daily, police investigators launched the inquiry more than a month ago over suspicions that Gaziel participated in a scam to rig official tenders.

The report said the PIID investigation had revealed that officers regularly falsified bids by suppliers over the years to favor certain companies over others.

“It was corruption, and everyone in the industry knew about it,” one supplier who regularly works with the police told the paper.

Investigators from the Justice Ministry department suspect that Gaziel not only turned a blind eye to the corruption, but participated in the scam herself.

The investigation involves a number of people other than Gaziel, both police officers and civilians. PIID investigators said they expected to wrap up the probe “soon.”

Gaziel, who recently announced her retirement from the force, denied the allegations. She declined to take a polygraph test during her recent interrogation, according to Haaretz, citing her imminent retirement.

Her attorney, Ofer Bertal, denied the allegations against his client, saying Gaziel has “fully participated” with police investigators “so that her name can be cleared” according to Hadashot.

“I am confidant the PIID will soon reach the conclusion that she was without fault,” he said.