The outgoing prime minister and designated opposition chairman Yair Lapid, appealed to the chairman of the Central Election Commission, Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit, with a request that he determine whether there is scandal in the tax offenses for which Aryeh Deri was convicted.
If defamation is determined - he will not be able to serve as a minister in the government as the law now states.
The chairman of the Central Election Commission is the one who is required to determine whether Derai has a scandal in his actions and whether he cannot serve as a minister, but in the designated coalition they are trying to prevent the question from reaching the door of Judge Amit and this week they are promoting legislation that will change the basic law of the government and establish that a scandal that prevents a person from serving as a minister , will only apply to those convicted of actual imprisonment, while the law only mentions the word imprisonment.
Will he be appointed as a minister?
Aryeh Deri, photo: Dodi Vaaknin
Lapid's appeal is based on the annex of duties published between the Likud and Shas, which as is known within the framework of which Deri is expected to serve as a minister in the government. In his letter to Judge Amit, Lapid expresses serious allegations against Deri and claims that, against the background of his admission of tax offenses, Deri "chose his personal interest over the law, And that he chose to enrich himself at the expense of the public."
Lapid also wrote: "It is unthinkable that a person who was previously convicted twice (in 1999 and 2003) of chastity offenses, involving funds involving public funds; a person who served a prison sentence; such a person would be convicted again, and it would not be determined that he has a stigma that prevents his ability to serve kosher in the government of Israel. There is no precedent for this in any reformed democracy. This is precisely why the concept of disgrace was established, which Judge Haim Cohen defined as that "moral flaw that indicates to its owner that he is not fit to be in an honest crowd, and in any case, he is not fit to bear public responsibility for decisions and actions on which the interests of the public depend in them".
Will he accept the torch request?
Judge Yitzhak Amit, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
As mentioned, Lapid also explained in his letter the background to his appeal to a fellow judge, which is being made in the midst of the legislative process of the 'Deri law': "It is clear that now is the time to discuss the issue of MK Deri's suitability for the position of minister. Now this is not a theoretical matter, for it is no secret that Agreements were reached between the Likud party and the Shas party in preparation for the formation of a government, within the framework of which MK Deri is expected to be appointed Minister of the Interior and Health, and after two years Minister of Finance - who is responsible, among other things, for the state's revenues and the collection of taxes. As for me, there is no doubt that the actions of MK Deri Devek Kalon, otherwise there would have been no one who would have asked to change the Basic Law for the purpose of his appointment."
In response to a petition on the subject of the movement for the quality of government, Judge Amit noted that according to the law only the prime minister or an MK who makes up the government can apply for a decision on the question of disgrace. That is, only Netanyahu. However, we note that Lapid is still the prime minister and the law does not expand on which prime minister A government is spoken of, but the reasonable legal interpretation is that the legislator means the prime minister, who is tasked with assembling the government.
Approval of the conflict laws in a preliminary reading // Photo: Knesset Channel
In the meantime, earlier today (Tuesday) the designated coalition began to move the legislative process towards the formation of the government.
With a majority of 64 MKs, Miki Levy was replaced by Rival Levin as temporary Knesset Speaker.
Netanyahu congratulated Levin and emphasized in his words that this is a temporary appointment for two weeks, but Likud estimates that Levin may remain in office even after the formation of the government.
On top of that, the bill aimed at paving the way for Shas chairman Aryeh Deri to the position of minister was approved in a preliminary reading.
Also, the amendment to the police order that will allow the designated Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gabir, to make decisions regarding the police's enforcement policy - was also approved in a preliminary reading.
Another approved proposal: subordinate the Civil Administration to the minister in the Ministry of Defense - which, according to the coalition agreement, will be Smotrich, or someone on his behalf.
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