The High Court of Justice appears set to intervene in the contested Knesset election of Michael Rabello as state comptroller earlier this month, after all five judges expressed concern in a hearing on Sunday that the requirement for a secret ballot had been violated.

Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg was especially strident in his criticism, saying that if the court does not intervene over the election then the requirement for a secret ballot would turn into a “dead letter.”

“Should we erase the word ‘secret’ from Basic Law: State Comptroller?” Sohlberg asked rhetorically.

The numerous issues raised by the justices over the election were a strong indication that the court will intervene in some manner, most likely by ordering the Knesset to redo the election — a step it already urged two weeks ago.

Rabello, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s longtime lawyer and negotiator, was elected in the Knesset in a controversial election in which several Likud MKs either made their ballot slip visible outside the voting booth, or photographed or videoed themselves voting for Rabello inside the booth, reportedly on the instructions of senior Likud officials.

Rabello lost the first round of the June 3 voting to retired Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron 60-57. A second round of voting then began, since a candidate needs 61 votes to be elected, but was aborted after opposition MKs alleged that coalition MKs had been ordered to record their vote.

When the second vote started over, at least seven coalition MKs recorded themselves voting for Rabello, who won 61-57, with some coalition MKs having apparently switched their votes from the first round.

Petitioners alleged that the process was contaminated, violating the requirement in Basic Law: State Comptroller that the vote by members of Knesset be conducted by secret ballot, and argued that this component of the law was........

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