Police chief, prison service head nominees approved
The committee determined that there were no faults in the candidates' integrity nor in Ohana's motives in choosing them.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFPublic Security Minister Amir Ohana with Israel Police chief nominee Kobi Shabtai(photo credit: Courtesy)
The Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Civil Service Officials (the Goldberg Committee) on Wednesday approved the nominees for chief of the Israel Police and for head of the Prisons Service submitted by Public Security Minister Amir Ohana.The committee, headed by former justice Eliezer Goldberg, found no faults in the candidates’ integrity nor in Ohana’s motives in choosing them.“I am glad that the Advisory Committee for Appointments to Senior Positions also found my candidates, Asst.-Ch. Kobi Shabtai for the post of chief of the Israel Police, and Katy Perry for the post of prisons commissioner, worthy of heading important security organizations,” said Ohana, adding that he would ask that the government approve the appointments immediately.Ohana nominated Shabtai for the position earlier this month after the High Court of Justice ordered the government to act promptly to appoint a new permanent police chief.Moti Cohen, the acting chief, replaced Roni Alsheich in December 2018 but was never elevated to permanent status. He has served in the caretaker role since December 2018 because appointments to senior positions were held up by the electoral paralysis and the coronavirus crisis.Shabtai joined the Border Police in 1991 and served, among other roles, in an undercover unit in Gaza.Since 1995 Shabtai has fulfilled many police roles in the West Bank, including as Border Police chief since 2016, part of which has included combating terrorist attacks during the 2015-2016 wave of violence.Perry has served in the Prisons Service since 1990 in a variety of positions.Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
