Health Minister Naveh faces police probe
Investigators to look into suspicions of inappropriate political appointments based on state comptroller findings; Naveh's office dismisses charges
The suspicions are based on findings submitted by the state comptroller, who relayed them to the State Prosecutor's Office.
Naveh's office, however, dismissed the charges, saying "the minister was not involved in any political appointment, and therefore he is unclear about the reason for the investigation."
At this point the investigation is not a criminal one. A decision on how to proceed will be taken in light of findings of the current examination.
Following the recent findings of irregular appointments at the Environment Ministry, a criminal investigation was launched against Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, and last week police called for him to be put on trial.
While Hanegbi "starred" in the comptroller's report, a number of "supporting actors" also appeared in the document. Speculation has now grown over Likud Ministers Naveh and Yisrael Katz, who are also negatively portrayed in the report.
With Hanegbi's move to PM Sharon’s Kadima party, Naveh stands at the head of a group of Likud members steering the Likud and managing it until a new leader is elected in next week's primaries.
More details about the suspicions against Naveh are provided in Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. According to the report, a number of phone calls were made from his office to senior hospital staff, in order to shorten waiting times for Likud Central Committee members and relatives.
A parallel investigation, also published in Yedioth Ahronoth, concluded that Naveh rewarded Likud Central Committee members and relatives with key roles in his office and hospitals.
Immediately after the appointments, Naveh decided to institutionalize the links between Likud members and the Health Ministry through a "ministerial advisor for public requests."
Nave appointed Danny Yosef, a member of the Ramat Gan Likud Committee branch, to a position of advisor in his office. An associate, Committee member Shlomo Dorani, was appointed to a newly created position of "national head of unit for medical equipment for the handicapped."
A further example includes the attempt by Naveh to appoint his associate, Committee member and lawyer Carmel Shama, to the position of president of the finance company of the Sheba hospital near Tel Aviv.
The appointment was torpedoed by Ramat Gan Mayor Zvi Bar, who happened in on a meeting between hospital managers and Shama.
