"Contrary to widespread perception, the public system in Israel is not corrupt. Things happen in every system, but to sling mud and say that the entire system and everyone in it is corrupt is a terrible injustice," outgoing Ministry of Finance director general Joseph (Yossi) Bachar said today in handing over to his successor, Yarom Eliav. "We must undo the perception that all is corrupt," he added.
Bachar, who has been appointed acting director of the Tax Authority, directed his remarks partly at the sharp criticism that has been sounded day and night by Accountant General Yaron Zalika. Only yesterday evening, in a discussion on corruption held by the Hebrew University Faculty of Law, Zalika again attacked his colleagues at the Ministry of Finance and in the government, and claimed that they were turning a blind eye to corruption. He said that there were officials who chose to attack him, and at the same time say that they had not seen or heard of instances of corruption in Israel.
Zalika further said that Israel's slide down the international corruption table was due, among other things, to the failure of senior officials to set an example. He proposed that the cooling off period rules for legal counsel, internal auditors, and financial controllers in government ministries should be tightened, and that a maximum period should be set for holding these posts.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on January 9, 2007
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