Overview
- The High Court panel issued the ruling on Thursday and nullified the Knesset’s second‑round vote that had elected Michael Rabello, keeping his appointment frozen until a new ballot is held.
- Justices said multiple lawmakers filmed or photographed their secret ballots during the June 3 session, which breached the legal requirement for secret voting and could have influenced other members.
- The court noted Rabello won by only four votes and said that narrow margin made the secrecy defect potentially decisive, so the contested result could not stand.
- Petitions from opposition lawmakers and legal figures challenged the appointment because Rabello is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s personal lawyer, raising concerns about the comptroller’s independence.
- The judges urged the Knesset to quickly rerun the selection and to clarify rules on secret ballots to protect the State Comptroller’s role as an independent auditor of government action.