Some 30% of complaints about judges in 2024 were justified, while it took up to two months on average to close individual complaints, the annual “Public Complaints Commission on State Representatives in the Courts” report, authored by judge (ret.) and Prof. Menachem Finkelstein, found.
Submitted to Justice Minister Yariv Levin (Likud), the report, which was released for publication on Monday, provides a comprehensive review of public complaints on the conduct of prosecutors, police investigators, and other legal representatives. It details individual cases while identifying systemic issues that require structural reforms.
In total, 552 inquiries were filed in the 2024 calendar year, of which 239 became formal complaints, and 24 had carried over from 2023 but were resolved in 2024.
Of the total number of 263 complaints, 66 (25%) were found to be justified. Twenty-four of those, moreover, reflected systemic or recurring flaws, leading the commission to provide operational recommendations to correct these. Some suggestions were issued based on complaints that had actually been rejected.
Altogether, 220 complaints (92%) were resolved in 2024, with an average handling time of 50 days; 87% were resolved within three months.
Half of the total complaints (133) concerned the prosecution (the State Attorney’s Office), comprising 50% of complaints, while 33 were levied against attorneys authorized by the Attorney-General’s Office, encompassing 13%.
Sixteen complaints regarded Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, constituting 6%. In comparison, six complaints were levied against state representatives from the Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry, and the Official Receiver and the Commissioner of Insolvency and Economic Rehabilitation, both nestled under the Justice Ministry.
Of the complaints found to be justified, 38 concerned the prosecution, comprising 58%, 10 were levied against the police, comprising 15%, 10 were against attorneys authorized by the Attorney-General’s Office, comprising another 15%, and eight concerned the legal advisory, comprising 12% of justified cases.
Some examples include severe delays in cases of child abuse and neglect; the failure to disclose crucial body camera evidence to a defendant; unreasonably short deadlines for filing appeals, which prompted widespread recommendations to allow deadline extensions; and the refusal by the prosecution to explain its decision not to reopen cases.
Delays and mishandlings in high-profile cases found
The report also found delays and mishandling in high-profile cases, including investigations involving a judge, a government minister, and an MK. Specifically, regarding the Gilboa Prison pimping affair, the report rejected claims of intentional cover-ups, but stressed that the prosecution underestimated the severity of the events.
Finkelstein recommended improving transparency, the reasoning behind decisions, and the timely handling of cases; to safeguard the rights of defendants, complainants, and victims; to ensure that municipal and police prosecutors follow consistent and fair procedures; and to address long delays in sensitive cases.
The report noted that many of the previous recommendations had been adopted, including new internal prosecution guidelines on reviewing evidence, providing reasons for closure decisions, and clarifying appeal rights.
However, others, such as reforming procedures for complaints against police misconduct, ensuring oversight of forensic lab materials, and implementing legislative reforms in traffic offense enforcement, have yet to be addressed.
“During these challenging times, it has become alarmingly crucial to oversee state representatives in the courts, as we must make sure that the challenging tides faced by the judiciary do not affect the professionalism, dedication, and honesty of its servants,” Finkelstein said.