Members of the Spyware Investigation Committee accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of obstructing and undermining their work in an unusually harsh letter, requesting the justice minister to extend their mandate by six months, because “Due to objections from petitioners and the Attorney General, the committee has been unable to summon essential witnesses,” News14 reported on Tuesday.
The letter also noted that key materials necessary for the investigation had yet to be provided: “Unfortunately, to this day, the committee has not received the fundamental materials required, including those long ago transferred to the Merari Team (the investigation team headed by Deputy Attorney General Amit Merari – DI) or the State Comptroller. Additionally, due to objections from petitioners and the Attorney General, the committee has been blocked from summoning the witnesses critical to its work.”
On August 28, 2023, Justice Minister Yariv Levin (Likud), with the government’s approval, established a committee of inquiry to examine the procurement, surveillance, and information collection about citizens and public officials by enforcement agencies using cyber tools. The committee was granted the authority of an investigative committee under the Investigative Committees Law, 5729-1968.
The committee members blamed the AG for the delay in submitting their report, citing not only her objections but also her numerous requests for an extension to submit her position.
“As a result, nearly a year and a half after its establishment, the committee remains in the initial stages of gathering materials for its work,” they stated.
The committee criticized Baharav Miara for repeatedly delaying the process, noting that she had requested “13 extensions!” to submit her position and provide basic data to the Supreme Court. “The next deadline for submitting materials to the Supreme Court is set for March 6, 2025, and it is expected that additional time will be needed before the Court rules on the matter—or, regrettably, before some or all of the restrictions imposed on the committee are lifted,” the committee members stated.
In a response submitted to the High Court of Justice in September 2024, Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara argued that the government-appointed investigation committee examining the police spyware affair was operating illegally. She requested that the High Court order its cessation. By doing so, she aligned with the petitioners who claim the committee was established by the government “for ulterior motives.”
Baharav Miara told the high court that the government was prohibited from interfering in ongoing criminal trials, disrupting, or delaying them—even through a committee acting on its behalf. Her response was submitted in support of a petition and request for an interim injunction filed by a group of petitioners that included former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman, former Air Force commander and Defense Ministry Director-General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Eshel, and a group of ten senior lawyers.
Constitution Committee Chairman MK Simcha Rothman responded: “And then the Attorney General will talk about others’ conflicts of interest. This is outright obstruction of a legally established investigative committee by Gali Baharav-Miara and her associates.”
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced on Monday that the process to impeach AG Baharav-Miara will begin in the coming weeks.
“In the next two to three weeks, an actual impeachment process will begin, and that is exactly what will happen,” Karhi stated. He added that the justice minister had prepared a hearing with “hundreds of examples of illegal activity—things that would be unthinkable for an attorney general to do.”
