In Israel, the absence of a state comptroller after Matanyahu Englman's term ended on July 5 has halted the consideration of some whistleblower complaints and limited oversight of election campaign financing. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post. The law does not provide for an official who automatically assumes all of the comptroller's powers during a vacancy, so staff at the institution cannot independently make decisions in new cases or approve completed reports for publication.
The vacancy arose after the High Court of Justice on July 2 annulled the election of attorney Michael Rabello as Englman's successor. The court ordered a new vote between the two candidates who had already taken part in the procedure. The reason was that several Knesset members recorded or otherwise disclosed their votes during the second round of the secret ballot.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has not yet convened a repeat vote. According to Israeli reports, he said that parliament had already expressed its position and did not intend to hold new elections. Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik, for her part, indicated that parliament is obliged to implement the court ruling and that its dissolution does not prevent a vote for comptroller.
Israel's state comptroller also serves as ombudsman and may issue temporary or permanent orders to protect civil servants who have faced persecution after reporting corruption. Such decisions may halt dismissals or salary reductions,...
FAR-RIGHT groups have been celebrating a fire at a Glasgow tenement amid false claims that it was being renovated to house migrants. At around 5pm on Sunday, fire crews were called out to the blaz...