The largest fine, 62,000 shekels, was handed to the Pensioners party, for the receipt of seven illegal donations. The Moledet faction of the NU-NRP was fined 35,000 shekels for financial irregularities and large illegal cash transactions. Balad was fined 29,000 shekels for accepting illegal donations and claiming they came from other, legal sources.
The fines were levied after an investigation by the state comptroller, retired judge Micha Lindenstrauss. Lindenstrauss produced a report examining the behavior of the political parties and the state and regional elections committees leading up to the March 28, 2006 elections to the 17th Knesset.
Political parties receiving positive marks from Comptroller Lindenstrauss were the Likud, Labor-Meimad, Kadima and Yisrael Beiteinu. These parties did not exceed their campaign budgets by more than the state financing they received after the elections, which was dependent on how many seats each party received in the 17th Knesset. Also noted for maintaining legal budgetary limitations on campaign finances was the National Jewish Front headed by Baruch Marzel, even though it failed to receive a Knesset seat.
In addition to the affairs of the parties seeking Knesset seats, the comptroller's report looked into the behavior of the Central Elections Committee and found it wanting. Among the issues raised were the employing of outside contractors without the public tender required by law and nepotism in regional elections committees. In several cases, the Committee paid for services beyond a reasonable cost or received general, undifferentiated bills from service providers. As for nepotism, the comptroller discovered that 47% of people employed by regional election committees had one or more relatives employed by the same committee. In Hadera, the report notes, the numbers even reached 90% of the employees with relatives working alongside them.
Spokesmen for the NU-NRP bloc responded to the State Comptroller's report saying that it cited known financial irregularities that have been fixed. The irregularities in reporting, the party representatives noted, were due to the hasty unification of the National Religious Party and the National Union. They noted that in all past elections both parties had a good record of transparency and financial accountability.
In spite of the problems that were uncovered by the report, "the elections... were generally in order," Lindenstrauss wrote.
The fines were levied after an investigation by the state comptroller, retired judge Micha Lindenstrauss. Lindenstrauss produced a report examining the behavior of the political parties and the state and regional elections committees leading up to the March 28, 2006 elections to the 17th Knesset.
Political parties receiving positive marks from Comptroller Lindenstrauss were the Likud, Labor-Meimad, Kadima and Yisrael Beiteinu. These parties did not exceed their campaign budgets by more than the state financing they received after the elections, which was dependent on how many seats each party received in the 17th Knesset. Also noted for maintaining legal budgetary limitations on campaign finances was the National Jewish Front headed by Baruch Marzel, even though it failed to receive a Knesset seat.
In addition to the affairs of the parties seeking Knesset seats, the comptroller's report looked into the behavior of the Central Elections Committee and found it wanting. Among the issues raised were the employing of outside contractors without the public tender required by law and nepotism in regional elections committees. In several cases, the Committee paid for services beyond a reasonable cost or received general, undifferentiated bills from service providers. As for nepotism, the comptroller discovered that 47% of people employed by regional election committees had one or more relatives employed by the same committee. In Hadera, the report notes, the numbers even reached 90% of the employees with relatives working alongside them.
Spokesmen for the NU-NRP bloc responded to the State Comptroller's report saying that it cited known financial irregularities that have been fixed. The irregularities in reporting, the party representatives noted, were due to the hasty unification of the National Religious Party and the National Union. They noted that in all past elections both parties had a good record of transparency and financial accountability.
In spite of the problems that were uncovered by the report, "the elections... were generally in order," Lindenstrauss wrote.