Aryeh Deri
Aryeh DeriYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

The Movement for Quality Government filed an appeal on Thursday requesting an additional High Court hearing on the appointment of Shas chairman Aryeh Deri to a ministerial position. 

The petition argues that the High Court changed existing law when it allowed a man convicted of bribery to serve as a senior minister. 

The request comes after the Movement for Quality Government lost its suit against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his decision to appoint Deri the Minister of Economy, despite his criminal past. 

The High Court found in favor of Deri, noting that 13 years have passed since he completed a two-year sentence - double the amount of time required before returning to public service as codified in Israel's laws. 

According to the movement, the High Court created a new test, which changed the balance of established law on cases considering whether a person with a criminal record should be appointed to public office. 

"This is a very important question on an authority figure in the public eye, who directly impacts the public's confidence [in the government] as well as the future appointment of a person with a criminal record to a ministerial post or senior position," the movement said. 

"The new rule brings difficult results, which we cannot allow," the Movement for Quality Government asserted. "The law puts the passage of time above all else, and its ripple effect will hit all the administrative tools designed to protect the public and ensure deterrence."

The High Court's ruling "undermines the public's interest in insuring clean and honest public officials and will have far-reaching effects on Israel's political culture and the image of public servants."