The Supreme Court demands the resignation of Aryeh Deri, Minister of the Interior and Health and a key ally of the Chief Executive, because he was convicted of tax fraud last year
Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed ultra-Orthodox Shas party leader Aryeh Deri as “number two” of Benyamin Netanyahu’s government and interior and health minister for being convicted of tax fraud in 2022. The high court believes that Deri, a key ally of the president, as Shas is the second formation with the most seats in the coalition, cannot hold an elected position because of the sentence, which was suspended following an agreement with the prosecution . according to Haaretz newspaper.
Netanyahu’s Likud and Shas agreed to appoint Deri as one of the conditions for the prime minister to gain crucial support from this party, including a commitment to amend existing legislation to remove potential obstacles. This amendment, known as the ‘Deri Act’, was passed to correct the Basic Law, which prevented people with suspended sentences from holding ministerial posts.
Subsequently, a complaint was filed in court arguing that Deri cannot hold elected office and protesting the constitutionality of the amendments to the Basic Law. The Supreme Court thus voted on Wednesday with ten votes in favor and one against to disqualify the leader of Shas.
Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara even expressed her opposition to Deri’s appointment and has refused to represent the Israeli government in the case, arguing that the convictions against the Shas leader “lead to the unquestionable conclusion that his appointment as minister will seriously damage public confidence in the ethics of elected officials.”
At present, there is no response from the government of Israel, although hours before the ruling, Social Welfare Minister Yaakov Margi – a senior Shas official – had warned that Netanyahu “knows there will be no government” if Deri does not is doing. minister. Deri himself said on Monday that he will not resign even if the Supreme Court decides to do so, Israel’s Channel 13 television reported.
Netanyahu’s Likud-led coalition includes the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, Noam, Shas and United Torah Judaism. In total, these formations control 64 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
Source: La Verdad
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