No administrative action against Tax Authority suspects.

Civil Service Commissioner yet to receive list of employees suspected in scandal.

By DAN IZENBERG
Despite a statement issued by the Justice Ministry regarding steps that might be taken against suspected Tax Authority employees during their investigation, no steps have yet been taken, Civil Service Commission spokesman Aryeh Greenblatt told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. According to Greenblatt, the police have not given Civil Service Commissioner Ya'acov Hollander a list of the names of the suspected state employees in the case and what the allegations are against each of them. Earlier Wednesday, the Justice Ministry issued a statement declaring that "at this point, to the degree necessary and in accordance with the requirements of the investigation, arrangements will be made to order suspects to stay away from work." The statement went on to say that "in keeping with the developments and facts unearthed in the investigation, we will consider taking appropriate administrative steps [against suspects] including the possibility of suspending [them] in accordance with the Civil Service Law." The statement was issued in coordination with Hollander. But according to the spokesman, Hollander has not formally received information regarding the suspects from the police and will only begin to consider what, if any, measures, should be taken against them when he receives a list of their names and the allegations against them. Asked whether Hollander knew how the suspects had been appointed to their positions in the Tax Authority and how many of them had been chosen by public tenders, his spokesman said that only the Tax Authority knew at this point. The head of the authority, Jacky Matza, was the only employee appointed by the government. The only other civil servant allegedly involved in the affair is Shula Zaken, the head of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's bureau. On Tuesday, Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court placed her under house arrest for 10 days and ordered her to stay away from work for two weeks. The Tax Authority suspects who were brought before the court by police include Moshe Kochavi, in charge of administration and information at the Tel Aviv branch; Orna Bachar, the deputy head of assessment in Tel Aviv; Shmuel Bobrov, senior deputy director-general to the head of the manpower department; Yosef Cohen, head VAT collector in the Ramle branch; Gideon Bar-Zacai, senior deputy director-general for professional matters, and Galit Simchon, adviser to the head of the authority.