Justice Minister Yariv Levin on Tuesday tapped State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula to head the investigation into former military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi over the Sde Teiman leak affair, in an effort to bypass Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Kula would lead the investigation in place of Baharav-Miara, who Levin has claimed is legally barred from involvement in the case due to her role and that of her office in drafting submissions to the High Court of Justice on behalf of the Military Advocate General’s Office that he said turned out to be inaccurate and even misleading.

Baharav-Miara has already insisted that Levin’s claims are baseless, and that the minister does not have the authority to bypass her. The clash between the two is likely to end up in the High Court.

Kula, a retired judge, issued a separate statement saying that his acceptance of the position did not reflect any position he might have over Levin’s efforts to sideline the attorney general.

Tomer-Yerushalmi is suspected of fraud and breach of trust, abuse of her office, obstruction of justice, and unlawful disclosure of material over her role in the Sde Teiman leak. She has admitted to authorizing the leak of surveillance camera footage in mid-2024 that purported to show alleged abuse of a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention facility.

Levin has claimed that a clause in the 1959 Law for the Civil Service (Appointments) allows a minister to empower an external public servant to take up a task of an official under that minister’s authority, if that official is legally prevented from carrying out that task, and in consultation with the civil service commissioner.

Writing to interim Civil Service Commissioner Daniel Hershkowitz on Tuesday, Levin informed him that he intends to appoint Kula to head the investigation instead of the attorney general, and noted that Kula had agreed to accept the role.

Kula was recently

© The Times of Israel