State Comptroller racing to complete Danino inquiry

Lindenstrauss investigating leading candidate regarding alleged negligence, an alleged possible cover up over a double homicide.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Yochanan Danino 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Yochanan Danino 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss is working “as quickly as possible” to complete an inquiry involving Cmdr. Yochanan Danino, the leading candidate to replace Insp. Gen. David Cohen as next chief of police, a spokesman from Lindenstraus’s office said on Monday.
Last week, the troubled race for the post of police chief was thrown into disarray after it emerged that Danino was the subject of an ongoing inquiry by the state comptroller regarding alleged negligence and an alleged possible cover up over the double homicide of two police informants in 2006.
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Two criminals turned police agents – Eyal Salhov, of the Ruhan crime organization, and a second agent from the Jarushi crime family, whose name is still being withheld, were murdered in 2006. No suspects have been arrested for the slayings to date.
Danino gave testimony to Lindenstrauss on Sunday, the spokesman added, as did Central District State Prosecutor Rahel Shiber. The testimonies have been sent on to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, who will have final say on whether Danino can take part in the race for police chief.
"Many others who are linked to this episode will give testimony in the coming days,” the spokesman said.
"I can’t say when we will complete the inquiry,” he added.
The inquiry was launched in 2009 following a complaint by a former senior intelligence gathering officer, Dep.- Cmdr. Yisrael Abarbanel, who alleged that police mishandled the affair, leading to the agents’ exposure and murder, and that the episode was then whitewashed by police. Danino was the police’s Investigations and Operations branch head at the time of the murders. He currently serves as head of the Southern District.