Comptroller: Criminal wrongdoing suspected in ammonia crisis
State comptroller passes information to attorney general raising suspicion state authorities prioritized alternatives for ammonia import in a biased manner that financially benefited Haifa Chemicals; Shapira also points to possible conflict of interest for Environmental Protection Ministry director-general.
State Comptroller Yosef Shapira on Tuesday provided Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit with information that raises the suspicion of criminal wrongdoing in state authorities' handling of the ammonia crisis in Haifa.
The information gathered by the State Comptroller's Office raises the suspicion state authorities prioritized alternatives for ammonia import in a biased manner that financially benefited Haifa Chemicals.
In addition, relevant professionals at the Environmental Protection Ministry were allegedly excluded from discussions on the matter. Furthermore, information given to experts on the subject significantly changed every time and did not entirely match the facts.
According to the comptroller, "It appears the involvement in the matter of Yisrael Dancziger, the director-general of the Environmental Protection Ministry, was significant and unusual, and he allegedly did not adhere to the conflict of interest arrangement set for him in August 2015. There is concern he acted on the matter in a conflict of interest and without having consulted with the ministry's legal advisor, as he committed to doing."
This, the comptroller noted, raises concerns foreign interests affected the actions of some of the state officials in the matter, as well as concerns of ethical violations.
The comptroller passed the information on to the attorney general and the state attorney to handle as they deem appropriate.
The Environmental Protection Ministry said in response that its employees "were shocked to hear in the media of these serious accusations and have yet to receive any explanation or information concerning these allegations. As soon as we receive all of the information, we will be able to issue a response on the matter.
"It is important to emphasize the Environmental Protection Ministry's work on the matter was done entirely based on the recommendations of experts in the field in Israel and abroad, and was closely accompanied by the legal officials as the topic was discussed in different legal instances."
The Haifa Municipality said in response, "For a long time we've been arguing financial considerations incomprehensibly eclipse the safety considerations that affect some million Israeli citizens. We passed on the wealth of information we had to the comptroller's office. Despite great pressure put on us, we maintained, as we continue to maintain, that the safety of the residents of Haifa must be the highest consideration, and only after we've been satisfied it has been taken into account will be agree to discuss alternatives."
Haifa Chemicals said in response the company "has learned of the state comptroller's letter to the attorney general through the media and has no further information beyond that. The company received the complete opposite of preferential treatment. The company believes that instead of receiving preferential treatment, it was targeted and treated badly as a result of the campaign of lies led by (Haifa mayor) Yahav."
Several days ago, Dancziger was instructed by the attorney general to avoid dealing with the ammonia crisis in Haifa out of concern it would constitute a conflict of interest.
The Environmental Protection Ministry said Dancziger "signed a conflict of interest agreement according to which he cannot directly deal with matters concerning Israel Chemicals, because of his distant friendship with Israel Chemicals' chief financial officer.
"The director-general acted in accordance with the agreement and did not deal with anything that directly concerns Israel Chemicals. The ministry's legal advisor, when asked for her legal opinion, stated that based on the information she has, there is no reason to bar the director-general from dealing with the ammonia issue, as this matter concerns Haifa Chemicals."
The crisis
Haifa Chemicals has been operating for years without a business license for the ammonia tank. The colossal, circular vat is located in the northern port of Haifa and can hold 12,000 tons of ammonia, which is used in products like fertilizer and explosives.
The government, looking to remove hazardous materials from the heavily populated area, has for more than a decade been looking for alternatives to the Haifa plant, including building a new one in the middle of the desert. It has made little progress.
Earlier this month, the government approved a new plan to resolve the crisis. The plan consists of two parts: a short-term solution in which a small ship of 2,500 tons will dock at the Haifa port and flow the ammonia directly to Haifa Chemicals, which will then supply ammonia to the entire economy.
As part of the long-term solution, a three-kilometer marine link will be constructed and connected to a special port for ships carrying ammonia near the port of Haifa.
As part of the solution, Haifa Chemicals was tasked with constructing an area at sea allowing the ammonia ships to dock several kilometers away from the shore.
But the plan is in question because of a legal opinion by the Environmental Protection Ministry's legal advisor Daliya Dror, who determined the ministry could not issue a toxins permit if Haifa Chemicals does not have a business license. The Haifa Municipality, which grants business licenses, is not expected to give the company such a license.
Reuters contributed to this report.
