http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/813765.html
Accountant General Yaron Zelekha speaking at the Academic College of Tel
Aviv-Jaffa on Monday. (Eyal Toueg / BauBau)
Last update - 23:11 15/01/2007
Accountant General: Israel is the most corrupt country in the West
By Ora Coren, Haaretz Correspondent
The Finance Ministry's accountant general, Yaron Zelekha, said on Monday that
Israel is the most corrupt country in the West, but that most of its civil
service is honest and of high quality.
Zelekha said he is optimistic since the authorities are dealing with the
problems efficiently and with determination.
Zelekha spent Monday with a security guard at his side - a result of the
threats issued against him due to his fight against government corruption.
"Contrary to the public impression, I am very optimistic. The problem of
corruption in the country is very serious, and we are for all practical
purposes the most corrupt country in the Western world. This has been
determined by international organizations," he explained.
"These matters were hidden under the table, and now they are out in the open -
therefore I am optimistic. The public is aware of the affairs, and that is part
of the healing process," Zelekha said.
He also defended the civil service, in spite of the inquiries into the Tax
Authority. He said that the majority of the civil service was honest. According
to him, the problem was that there were no checks and balances, and that there
exist a few specific centers of corruption.
In addition to Zelekha's complaint to the state comptroller against Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert in the Bank Leumi privatization affair, there are sources
who say he reported another 15 cases where Olmert intervened on behalf of
businessmen in a manner contradicting proper procedures
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