Shaked reportedly seeking to shorten police and DA investigation time
The Justice Minister is expected to promote a bill that would limit the time it takes the police and DA to finish their investigation and decide on whether to charge a suspect
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) has reportedly given her support to a new initiative looking to shorten the police's notoriously long investigation periods, along with the time it takes the District Attorney’s to decide on whether to charge a suspect.
The initiative is based on another bill submitted by MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) and Law and Justice Committee Chairperson Nissan Slomiansky (Bayit Yehudi). Their bill is slated to be discussed by The Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Monday, with Shaked, who heads the committee, expected to postpone the discussion by a few weeks to allow her to draft her own version of the bill.
The original bill that Shaked will be basing hers on states that in cases of “lighter” misdemeanors, whose maximum punishment is three years in prison, the police investigation and DA’s decision regarding whether to prosecute should each take no more than nine months. Such cases include theft, simple (as opposed to aggravated) assault and negligent homicide.
The investigations of more substantial misdemeanors, whose maximum punishment ranges from three to ten years in prison, will be capped at a year and a half, with the DA deciding on whether to prosecute within one year after the end of the investigation. Such cases include accepting bribes, grand theft auto and nonconsensual intercourse.
The most severe offenses, such as murder, espionage and rape, whose punishment can go beyond ten years’ imprisonment, will similarly have a maximum police investigation time of a year and a half, but without any time limit set for the DA’s decision.
Lapid and Slomiansky’s bill dictates that in cases where a longer investigation is necessary, the Attorney General could use their discretion and decide whether to grant an extension.
“A person awaiting the conclusion of a police investigation is kept in uncertainty regarding his future and what ramifications it will have on his life,” the bill states. “Such an investigation can also harm an individual’s honor, reputation, social status and financial means.” The bill continues by saying that “For this reason, it is necessary to limit the scope of damage that can be caused to whoever is under investigation.”
