The State Comptroller of Israel ( ''Mevaker HaMedina'', , literally: ''Critic of State'') inspects, reviews, and audits the policies and operations of the government of the
State of Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. The State Comptroller's Office is also the government's office for public complaints. It serves under the aegis of the Knesset and has authority to examine all agencies of government.
History

In 1965 the Comptroller's Office hosted V
INCOSAI, the fifth triennial convention of the
International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions
The International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) is an intergovernmental organization whose members are supreme audit institutions. Nearly every supreme audit institution in the world is a member of INTOSAI. Depending on th ...
.
The state comptroller is elected by the
Knesset
The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel.
The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
in a secret ballot for a single term of seven years. The state comptroller can be relieved only by the Knesset or by resignation or demise.
The comptroller may not be a member of the Knesset or otherwise engage in politics and is prohibited from any public or private activity that could create a conflict of interest with the independent performance of the duties of the office. The state comptroller, although lacking in authority to enforce compliance, has broad investigative powers and employs hundreds of staff members, including accountants, lawyers, and other relevant professionals.
The state comptroller acts in conjunction with the State Audit Committee of the Knesset and reports to it whenever necessary. The state comptroller may recommend that the State Audit Committee appoint a special commission of inquiry, but having no statutory authority of its own it relies on the Knesset to impose sanctions on errant bodies. The state comptroller's budget is submitted directly to the Finance Committee and is exempt from prior consideration by the
Ministry of Finance
A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position .
A ministry of finance's portfoli ...
.
The comptroller elected in 2019 to replace
Yosef Shapira is
Matanyahu Englman.
Duties
The principal function of the state comptroller is to check on the legality, regularity, efficiency, economy, and ethical conduct of public sector institutions. The checks are performed by continuous and spot inspections of the financial accounts and activities of all ministries, the armed forces and security services, local government bodies, and any corporations, enterprises, or organizations subsidized or managed by the state in any form.
By law, the State Comptroller in Israel also functions as
Ombudsman
An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...
(Hebrew: ''Netziv Tlunot HaTzibur'') to whom members of the public may lodge complaints about actions by governmental bodies that have caused them harm.
The state comptroller's office is divided into five major inspection units. The first four units are concerned, respectively, with ministries, defense services, local authorities, and corporations; the fifth inspection unit deals with public complaints concerning government bodies.
Officeholders
*
Siegfried Moses (1949–61)
*
Yitzhak Nebenzahl (1961–81)
* Yitzhak Tunik (1982–87)
* Yaakov Malz (1987–88)
*
Miriam Ben-Porat (1988–98)
*
Eliezer Goldberg
Eliezer Goldberg (; 24 May 1931 – 12 March 2022) was an Israeli judge and civil servant who served on the Supreme Court of Israel, and as the State Comptroller of Israel.
Biography
Eliezer Goldberg was born in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine. ...
(1998–2005)
*
Micha Lindenstrauss (2005–2012)
*
Yosef Shapira (2012–2019)
*
Matanyahu Englman (2019–present)
See also
*
Economy of Israel
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with ...
*
Control Yuan
The Control Yuan is the supervisory and auditory branch of the government of the Republic of China, both during its time in mainland China and Taiwan.
Designed as a hybrid of auditor and ombudsman by Taiwanese law, the Control Yuan holds th ...
, a similar function in Taiwan
References
External links
State Comptroller websiteState Comptroller and Ombudsman
{{DEFAULTSORT:State Comptroller Of Israel
Comptrollers in Israel
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...