Ezrachi

Why change? Today, a complaint often leads only to the correction of a service or procedure, but not to the personal accountability of the public servant who committed the failure. It is difficult to know how many complaints actually led to disciplinary proceedings, dismissals, or criminal investigations. What needs to change? Practical changes without the need for legislative amendments • Uniform complaint number (Tracking Number) – so that every person can track the progress of the complaint across all bodies handling it. • Obligation to provide a response regarding personal accountability – every public body will be required to respond separately as to whether the option of imposing accountability or a sanction on a specific public servant was examined. • Publication of processing times – publication of the actual duration required to review complaints. • Standardization of statistical data – creation of a uniform reporting format for all government ministries and public bodies. • Publication of quarterly statistics – how many complaints were received, how many were reviewed, how many cases led to disciplinary sanctions, and how many ended in dismissal. What legislative changes are proposed? • A uniform and transparent public statistical system (Dashboard) and cross-organizational reporting – every public body will be required to publish anonymous statistical data once a quarter on a publicly accessible website: the number of complaints filed, the number of complaints reviewed, the number of public servants punished, and the number of cases closed. • Mandatory transfer of verified complaints to a disciplinary track – when it becomes clear that a violation has indeed been committed, the review materials will be automatically transferred within 30 days to the body authorized to consider taking disciplinary measures against the public servant. • Accelerated protection for whistleblowers – granting temporary and rapid protective remedies to employees who reported corruption or a breach of integrity. • Presumption of retaliation against a whistleblower – if an employee is harmed after reporting corruption, it shall prima facie be considered prohibited retaliation, unless the employer proves otherwise. • Publication of data on suspensions, reassignments, and dismissals – to reflect not only final dismissals but also disciplinary measures taken during the process. • Separate accountability for political appointments – establishment of a dedicated mechanism for reviewing complaints and publishing decisions concerning senior officials who were appointed politically. The purpose of the change • To strengthen the personal accountability of public servants. • To increase the transparency of the public system. • To reduce corruption and the abuse of administrative authority. • To strengthen public trust in state institutions.