Israel Police's Internal Investigations Department (PIID) on Wednesday detained a high-ranking police officer for questioning under caution on suspicion of breach of trust and abuse of office.
The officer, holding the rank of deputy commissioner (the organization's second-highest rank), is responsible for overseeing sensitive investigations.
According to PIID, the officer is suspected of intervening in an ongoing investigation within Lahav 433—the national crime and corruption unit—despite being in a conflict of interest. He allegedly failed to disclose the conflict and took active steps to influence how the case was handled within his unit.
The officer was interrogated for more than seven hours and released close to midnight under restrictive conditions, including a nine-day ban from police facilities and a prohibition on contacting others involved in the case.
A senior source familiar with the matter said the officer is believed to have acted to benefit a businessman reportedly close to him, in the context of a classified and sensitive investigation.
The probe is being conducted jointly by PIID and the Israel Police, with a special investigative team formed by both bodies. A court-imposed gag order remains in place regarding the details of the case, and numerous police personnel have been sworn to secrecy.
Police Commissioner Daniel Levy has named Assistant Commissioner Eli Macmull, head of the national economic crime unit, as acting replacement for the senior officer. In response to the internal upheaval, Levy also called an urgent meeting of the police command staff.
The allegations have sent shockwaves through Israel’s law enforcement system, which is already under scrutiny amid the separate investigation involving former IDF military advocate general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. In that case, the High Court of Justice has pressed the Justice Ministry and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to reach an agreement on who will oversee the inquiry, warning that if no deal is struck by Thursday afternoon, the court will issue a binding ruling.