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State Comptroller Law, 5718-1958 [Consolidated Version] *


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CHAPTER ONE: THE COMPTROLLER
1. Election of Comptroller
  (a) The State Comptroller (hereafter - the Comptroller) shall be elected by the Knesset in a secret ballot, at a session convened exclusively for that purpose. Election of Comptroller
  (b) Should there be two or more candidates, the candidate for whom a majority of Members of the Knesset vote is elected; if no candidate receives such majority a second ballot shall be held; if again no candidate receives such a majority, another ballot shall be held; in the third and every subsequent ballot, the candidate who received the smallest number of votes in the previous ballot, shall no longer be a candidate; the candidate who receives a majority of the votes of the Members of the Knesset present and voting in the third or subsequent ballots is elected; if two candidates receive an equal number of votes, the ballot shall be repeated.  
  (c) Should there be only one candidate, the ballot shall be either for or against him and he shall be elected if the number of votes for him exceeds the number of votes against him; should the number of votes for him be equal to the number of votes against him, the ballot shall be repeated.  
  (d) Should the Comptroller not be elected in accordance with subsection (c), the ballot shall be repeated within thirty days of the date of the election under the provisions of this section and sections 2(b) and (c) and 3; however the nomination of a candidate in accordance with section 3(a) shall be filed not later than seven days before the date of the election.  
2. (a) The election of the Comptroller shall take place not earlier than ninety days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the serving Comptroller's term of office; if the office of the Comptroller falls vacant before the expiration of his term, the election shall be held within forty-five days from the day the office fell vacant. Date of election
  (b) The Speaker of the Knesset, in consultation with his deputies, shall set the date of the election and shall give notice of it in writing to all the Members of the Knesset at least twenty days before the election.  
  (c) If the date of election falls at a time when the Knesset is not in session, the Speaker shall convene the Knesset for the election.  
3. (a) When the date of the election has been set, ten or more Members of the Knesset may nominate a candidate; the nomination shall be in writing and shall be delivered to the Speaker of the Knesset not later than ten days before the date of the election; the candidate's consent, in writing or by telegram, shall be attached to the nomination; no Member of the Knesset shall sponsor the nomination of more than one candidate. Nomination of candidates
  (b) The Speaker of the Knesset shall notify all Members of the Knesset, in writing, not later than seven days before the date of the election, of every candidate nominated and of those Members of the Knesset who nominated him, and shall announce the names of the candidates at the opening of the election session.  
4. On the occasion of his declaration of allegiance, in accordance with section 9 of the Basic Law: The State Comptroller, the Comptroller may, in coordination with the Speaker of the Knesset, address the Knesset. Comptroller's address in the Knesset
  4A and 5. (Repealed).  
6. (a) The Comptroller shall carry on his activities in contact with the State Audit Affairs Committee of the Knesset (in this Law referred to as "the Committee") and shall report to the Committee on his activities whenever he thinks fit or is required to do so by the Committee. The Committee
  (b) A person who served as a Minister, as a Deputy Minister or as a Director General or Deputy Director General of any of the Government offices shall not be Chairman of the Committee within two years from the day of termination of his tenure of such office.  
  (c) A member of the Committee who served in one of the posts specified in subsection (b) or in the Schedule to the Civil Service (Appointments) Law, 5719-1959, shall not participate in the discussions of the Committee relating to his area of responsibility during the period in which he served as aforesaid.  
7. (a) During his term of office, the Comptroller shall not be actively engaged in politics and shall not - Prohibited activities
    (1) be a member, or a candidate for membership of the Knesset, or of the council of a local authority;  
    (2) be a member of the management of a body of persons carrying on business for purposes of profit;  
    (3) hold any other office or engage, either directly or indirectly, in any business, trade or profession;  
    (4) participate, either directly or indirectly, in any enterprise, institution, fund or other body holding a concession from or assisted by the Government or in the management of which the Government has a share or which has been made subject to the control of the Government or the audit of the Comptroller, and shall not benefit, either directly or indirectly, from the income thereof;  
    (5) buy, lease, accept as a gift, use, or hold in any other manner, any State property, whether immovable or movable, or accept from the Government any contract or concession or any other benefit, in addition to his remuneration, except land or a loan for the purpose of settlement or housing.  
  (b) A person who has been Comptroller shall not, for three years from the termination of his tenure, be a member of the management of a body of persons carrying on business for purposes of profit and being an audited body within the meaning of section 9(3), (5), (6), (7), (8) and (9).  
8. The Comptroller's tenure of office terminates - Termination of tenure of office
    (1) upon expiration of his term of office;  
    (2) upon his resignation or death;  
    (3) upon his removal from office.  
8A. (a) The Knesset shall not remove the Comptroller from office, except upon the demand of at least twenty Members of the Knesset, submitted in writing to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, and upon the proposal of that Committee. Removal of the Comptroller from office
  (b) The Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset shall not propose removing the Comptroller from office before he has been given an opportunity to be heard.  
  (c) The proceedings of the Knesset under this section shall be held at a session, or successive sessions, devoted exclusively to this matter; the proceedings shall begin not later than twenty days after the decision of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee; the Speaker of the Knesset shall notify all the Members of the Knesset, in writing, at least ten days in advance, of the date on which the proceedings are to begin; if that date falls when the Knesset is not in session, the Speaker shall convene the Knesset to hold the proceedings.  
CHAPTER TWO: SCOPE OF AUDIT  
9. The following bodies (hereafter referred to as "audited bodies") shall be subject to the audit of the Comptroller: Audited bodies
  (1) every Government office;  
  (2) every enterprise or institution of the State;  
  (3) every person or body holding, otherwise than under contract, any State property or managing or controlling any State property on behalf of the State;  
  (4) every local authority;  
  (5) every Government company within the meaning of the Government Companies Law, 5735-1975 (hereafter referred to as "the Government Companies Law) and every enterprise, institution, fund or other body in the management of which the Government has a share;  
  (6) every person, enterprise, institution, fund or other body made subject to audit by law, by decision of the Knesset or by agreement between him or it and the Government;  
  (7) every Government subsidiary within the meaning of the Government Companies Law and every enterprise, institution, fund or other body in the management of which one of the bodies enumerated in paragraphs (2), (4), (5) and (6) has a share; but the audit of such a body shall not be actually carried out unless and in so far as the Committee or the Comptroller so decides;  
  (8) every enterprise, institution, fund or other body assisted, either directly or indirectly, by the Government or by one of the bodies enumerated in paragraphs (2), (4), (5) and (6) by way of a grant, a guarantee or the like; but the audit of such a body shall not be actually carried out unless and in so far as the Committee or the Comptroller so decides;  
  (9)

every general employees' organization, and every enterprise, institution, fund or other body in the management of which such employees' organization has a share, provided that the audit shall not be carried out on their activities as a trade union; but the audit of such a body shall not be actually carried out unless and in so far as the Comptroller so decides and subject to international conventions to which the State of Israel is party; if the Comptroller decides to carry out such audit, the Comptroller shall have all the powers granted him in respect of an audited body, even in respect of the activities of such employees' organization, enterprise, institution, fund or body, as a trade union, provided that the Comptroller deems that necessary for the purposes of the audit of their other activities.
In this paragraph -
"activities as a trade union" means representation of employees with regard to the advancement, realization or protection of their rights as employees;
"general employees' organization" means a national employees' organization, operating as a trade union in more than one branch of employment.

 
  (10) a body which, after 9 February 1997, ceased to be included in the list of the bodies enumerated in paragraphs (1) through (9), regarding the period in which it was included in the said list of bodies, provided that three years have not elapsed since the day that it ceased to be included therein; with regards to a body falling within this paragraph, the Comptroller shall, according to the circumstances, have all the powers granted him in respect of an audited body.  
10. (a) Within the scope of his functions the Comptroller shall, as far as necessary, examine - Extent of audit
    (1) [a] whether every expenditure has been incurred within the limits of the legal appropriation and for the purpose for which it has been assigned;  
      [b] whether the income has been received in accordance with law and is authorized by law;  
      [c] whether there are sufficient vouchers in respect of all expenditure and income;  
      [d] whether every act within the scope of his audit has been done in accordance with law and by the person competent to do it;  
      [e] whether the keeping of accounts, the drawing-up of balance sheets, the checking of the cash-in-hand and the stock, and the voucher system are efficient;  
      [f] whether the method of keeping moneys and safeguarding property is satisfactory;  
      [g] whether the state of the cash-in-hand and the stock tallies with the accounts.  
    (2) whether the audited bodies within the meaning of section 9(1), (2), (4) and (5) have operated economically, efficiently and in a morally irreproachable manner; this examination shall also comprise bodies supervised under section 9(6) unless the law, decision or agreement referred to in that paragraph otherwise provides, and bodies audited under section 9(7), (8) and (9) if and to the extent that their audit thereof is actually carried out;  
      any such other matter as he may deem necessary.  
  (b) The Committee may, upon the proposal of the Government or the Comptroller, prescribe from time to time, in respect of an audited body or an item of its budget, special or limited forms of audit.  
CHAPTER THREE: AUDIT PROCEDURE  
11. (a) An audited body shall, within such time as the Comptroller may prescribe, but not later than four months after the expiration of its financial year, submit a report on its income and expenditure during that year. Audited body to submit report, balance sheet, survey and information
  (b) The Comptroller may require of an audited body, within such time as he may prescribe -  
    (1) a balance sheet showing its assets and liabilities as at the expiration of the year;  
    (2) a detailed survey factually describing the economic and administrative operations carried out by the body during that year.  
  (c) The report and balance sheet shall be accompanied by any such document as the Comptroller may require for the purpose of verification.  
  (d) The Comptroller may require a report and balance sheet as aforesaid of any enterprise, institution, fund or other body which is an audited body within the meaning of section 9(7), (8) or (9) even though the audit thereof, in respect of the year to which the report or balance sheet relates, may not have been actually carried out.  
  (e) (Repealed)  
12. The Minister of Finance shall, within such time as the Comptroller may prescribe, but not later than six months after the expiration of the financial year of the State, submit a comprehensive report on the income and expenditure of the State during that year together with any document which the Comptroller may require for the verification of the report; moreover, the Minister of Finance shall, within such time as the Comptroller may prescribe, but not later than nine months after the expiration of the financial year of the State, submit a balance sheet showing the assets and liabilities of the State as at the expiration of that financial year, together with any document which the Comptroller may prescribe for the verification of the balance sheet. Minister of Finance to submit comprehensive report and balance sheet of the State
13. The following provisions shall apply to audited bodies within the meaning of section 9(5), (7) and (8) (in this section referred to as "associations") in addition to the other provisions of this Law and the provisions of any other law; Audit of associations
    (1) the Comptroller may, after consultation with the Minister of Finance, lay down directives for associations with regard to their accounting system and the drawing up of their balance sheet;  
    (2) a detailed survey factually describing the economic and administrative operations carried out by the body during that year.  
    (3) the Comptroller may require every association to draw up an annual plan of operations, based on the financial-economic situation during the current year and containing a forecast of its future financial and economic operations, and to submit that plan to him within such period as he may prescribe; he may also lay down directives for the drawing up of the said annual plan.  
14. (a) Where an audit has revealed defects which have not been explained, or infringements of any law, of the principles of economy and efficiency or of moral integrity, the Comptroller shall communicate to the audited body the results of the audit and his demands for the rectification of the defects and, if he deems it necessary to do so, shall bring the matter to the knowledge of the Minister concerned and of the Prime Minister. Modes of dealing with results of audit
  (b) Where an audit has revealed defects or infringements which the Comptroller, in view of their bearing upon a fundamental problem or in the interests of upholding moral integrity or for any other reason, deems worthy of consideration by the Committee prior to the submission of a report under section 15 or 20, he shall submit a separate report to the Committee; and upon his doing so, the Committee may, of its own motion or upon the proposal of the Comptroller, decide upon the appointment of a commission of enquiry; if the Committee so decides, the President of the Supreme Court shall appoint a commission of enquiry to investigate the matter; the provisions of the Commissions of Enquiry Law, 5729-1968, shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the commission of enquiry.  
  (b1) The Committee may, in special circumstances and with the agreement of the Comptroller, decide upon the appointment of a commission of enquiry, also on a subject included in a report under section 15 or 20, and the provisions at the end of subsection (b) will apply thereto. But the Committee shall not so decide, except by a majority of at least two-thirds of its members, in a meeting convened solely for that matter; the invitation to the first meeting shall be by notice given at least ten days in advance.  
  (c) Where an audit has revealed a suspicion of a criminal act, the Comptroller shall bring the matter to the knowledge of the Attorney General. The Attorney General shall notify the Comptroller and the Committee, within six months after the matter was brought before him, of the manner in which he has dealt with the subject.  
CHAPTER FOUR: REPORTS AND OPINIONS OF THE COMPTROLLER  
15. (a) Not later than the 15th of February each year, the Comptroller shall present a report for the consideration of the Prime Minister and of the Chairman of the State Audit Affairs Committee of the Knesset on the results of the audit of the audited bodies, within the meaning of section 9(1) and (2), carried out during the course of the past financial year. The Comptroller may present the report in parts, provided that the entire report is presented within the aforesaid time. Comptroller's report on Government offices and State institutions
  (b) In a report under subsection (a) the Comptroller shall summarize his activities in the field of audit and -  
    (1) specify any infringement of moral integrity;  
    (2) specify any such defect and any such infringement of a law or of the principles of economy and efficiency as in his opinion deserve to be included in the report;  
    (3) make recommendations for the rectification and prevention of the defects.  
16. (a) (1) The Prime Minister shall provide to the Comptroller, within ten weeks from the day on which he received the report, in whole or in part, all the following: Observations by Prime Minister and laying on the table of the Knesset
      [a] his observations on the report relating to matters that he deems appropriate;  
      [b] responses of the audited bodies to the report, as submitted to him;  
      [c] his detailed observations to previous reports on matters that he had not yet made observations; observations pursuant to this sub-paragraph shall include, inter alia, the details referred to in section 21B(a) and (b), and a report on decisions that the Government made as a result of the reports, and on execution of those decisions.  
    (2) Upon the expiration of the period as aforesaid in paragraph (1), the report, and the responses and observations, shall be laid on the table of the Knesset.  
  (b) The Comptroller, on his own initiative or upon the proposal of the Committee, may determine, in consultation with the Committee, that in a certain year the period stipulated in subsection (a) shall be shorter or longer by not more than fourteen days; such decision shall be made and brought to the notice of the Committee and the Prime Minister not later than the day on which the report is submitted, in whole or in part, as aforesaid in section 15(a).  
17. (a) The Committee may, upon consultation with the Comptroller, decide that the report or opinion of the Comptroller, or parts thereof, shall not be laid on the table of the Knesset and shall not be published if it deems it necessary to do so in the interests of safeguarding the security of the State or in order to avoid an impairment of its foreign relations or its international trade relations. Safeguarding security and foreign relations of the State
  (b) (Repealed).  
  (c) Having regard to the necessity of safeguarding the security of the State, the Comptroller may, if the Government so requests on grounds which he is satisfied are reasonable, give a limited report, or refrain from giving a report, on a branch or unit audited by him; the Comptroller shall inform the Committee, orally and in such form as he may think fit, on what unit or branch audited by him, he has given a limited report or refrained from giving a report.  
18. (a) When the report has been laid on the table of the Knesset, or a report or opinion has been published, the Committee shall consider them and submit its conclusions and proposals for the approval of the Knesset, and it may submit them chapter by chapter.  
  (b) If the Committee does not submit its conclusions and proposals as aforesaid in subsection 15(a), the Knesset shall consider the report when the subsequent report is laid on the table of the Knesset.  
  (c) The conclusions and proposals of the Committee in respect of those parts of the report which, in pursuance of section 17(a), have not been laid on the table of the Knesset shall also not be laid on the table of the Knesset and shall be deemed to have been approved by the Knesset.  
18A. (a) For the purpose of preparing the conclusions and proposals of the Committee in accordance with section 18, the Chairman of the Committee may invite any person, who held office or fulfilled a function in the audited body during the period covered by the Comptroller's report, to appear before the Committee in order to respond to the report in regard to matters with which the said person is connected; he may also invite any person who holds such office or fulfills such a function at the time or who held such office or fulfilled such a function in the past in order to respond to the report; the Chairman of the Committee must invite such a person if he is requested to do so by the Committee or by at least three of its members; in this subsection, "held office or fulfilled a function" in an audited body includes the exercise of a power with respect to it by law, or by virtue of being a member of its management or an employee. Appearance before the Committee
  (b) Whenever a person who was invited according to subsection (a) did not appear, the Committee may, by a majority of its members, demand that he appear before it, as aforesaid; the demand shall be in writing, signed by the Chairman of the Committee, and attached to it shall be a copy of the Comptroller's report or that part of it to which the demand is directed; the demand shall be submitted at least ten days before the time stipulated for his appearance.  
  (c) A person required to appear before the Committee by invitation or demand shall submit to it, at least two days before the time stipulated for his appearance, a written summary of his response, together with copies of the documents which he intends to submit to the Committee.  
  (d) Any person who received a demand to appear as aforesaid in subsection (b) and did not do so, and did not show a justifiable reason for such, is liable to a fine.  
  (e) A demand to appear according to this section shall not be sent to -  
    (1) the President of the State or the Speaker of the Knesset;  
    (2) in a matter under judicial consideration a person holding judicial office.  
19. The Comptroller shall submit the report on the balance-sheet showing the assets and liabilities of the State, for the consideration of the Minister of Finance, not later than the end of the month of March following the submission of the balance sheet by the Minister of Finance as specified in section 12, and shall lay it on the table of the Knesset at the same time as the report under section 15. Comptroller's report on balance sheet of the State
20. (a) Upon completion of the audit of the audited bodies within the meaning of section 9(3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8) and (9), the Comptroller shall prepare a report on the result of his audit. In his aforesaid report, the Comptroller shall include a summary, details, and recommendations as aforesaid in section 15(b). Comptroller's report on other audited bodies
  (b) The Comptroller shall submit each report on the audit of an audited body within the meaning of section 9(4) to the head of the local authority audited, together with copies for all the members of such local authority; a copy of the report shall be submitted by the Comptroller to the Committee, to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of the Interior.  
  (c) Each report on the audit of an audited body within the meaning of section 9(3), (5), (6), (7), (8) and (9) shall be submitted by the Comptroller to the Committee; a copy of the report shall be submitted by the Comptroller to the Prime Minister, to the Minister concerned and to the audited body; but a copy of such a report on an audited body within the meaning of section 9(9) shall only be submitted by the Comptroller to the audited body itself.  
  (d) A report pursuant to this section shall be published at a time specified by the Comptroller.  
21. The Comptroller shall, if requested to do so by the Knesset, the Committee or the Government, prepare an opinion as to any matter within the scope of his functions. The said opinion shall be published at a time specified by the Comptroller. Opinion
21A. (a) In this section, head of an audited body" means each of the following:  
    (1) in an audited body as referred to in section 9(1) or (2) - the minister in charge of that body;  
    (2) in an audited body referred to in section 9(4) - the head of the local authority;  
    (3) in another audited body - the directorate or comparable body in the audited body;  
  (b) In each audited body, the head of the audited body shall appoint a team to rectify the defects, to be headed by the director general in that body, and, where the position of director general does not exist, by the comparable office holder in that body (hereafter referred to as "the team").  
  (c) Where the audit revealed defects in the activity of the audited body, the team shall discuss the ways to rectify the defects, make decisions relating to rectifying them, and report on their discussions and decisions to the head of the audited body shortly after making the decisions.  
  (d) The team may, upon approval of the head of the audited body, delay rectifying a particular defect.  
21B. (a) The head of the audited body as aforesaid in section 21A(a) shall report to the Comptroller regarding the decisions made pursuant to section 21A(c) and (d) shortly after they are made. If the audited body is referred to in section 9(1) or (2), the head of the said audited body shall also report to the Prime Minister. The head of the audited body shall report, inter alia, on the ways and the time to rectify the defects, on defects as to which it was decided to delay rectifying, and the reasons therefor.  
  (b) The Prime Minister shall inform the Comptroller, within eight months from the time a report is presented to him in which it was determined that defects were found in the activity of an audited body as referred to in section 9(1) or (2), of the results of the handling of the said defects.  
  (c) The Comptroller may at any time demand reporting in addition to those enumerated in this section.  
CHAPTER FIVE: THE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE  
22. (a) The staff of the Comptroller's Office shall have the same status as other State employees, but as regards the receipt of instructions, and as regards dismissals, it shall be under the sole authority of the Comptroller. Staff of the Comptroller's Office
  (b) (1) The prohibitions applying to the Comptroller under section 7(a) shall apply also to such members of the staff of his Office as are employed in audit work, but the Comptroller may, upon the request of a staff member as aforesaid, permit him to do any of the things enumerated in section 7(a)(2), (3) or (4) (hereafter referred to as "the activity"), if in his opinion the activity does not infringe upon the audit work or create a conflict of interests; the aforesaid permission does not exempt the staff member from meeting the requirements of any law or custom regulating the activity.  
    (2) A staff member as aforesaid in paragraph (1) who leaves his post shall not, save with the approval of the Comptroller, be employed by an audited body within two years from the day of leaving.  
  (c) In carrying out his functions, the Comptroller may, to the extent that he deems it necessary to do so, avail himself of the assistance of persons who are not members of the staff of his Office.  
22A. (a) The Comptroller shall appoint a person in charge of security, who shall be responsible for organizing security actions within the meaning of the Security in Public Places Arrangements Law, 5758-1988 (in this section - the Law), in the Comptroller's Office, and for supervising these actions. Person in charge of security
  (b) A person shall not be appointed the person in charge of security pursuant to subsection (a) unless he met the conditions stated in section 4(b) of the Law, and met the conditions for qualification stated in section 5 of the Law.  
  (c) The person in charge of security shall have the powers provided in section 3 of the Law, and the provisions of section 13 of the Law shall apply to the person appointed by the person in charge of security to serve as a guard in the Comptroller's Office.  
  (d) The provisions of section 14 of the Law shall apply to the person in charge of security and to a guard in the Comptroller's Office, however the certificate of appointment shall be issued by the Comptroller or by a person empowered by him for this purpose.  
  (e) The Comptroller shall establish the procedures for auditing and supervising the exercise of powers by the person in charge of security and by a guard appointed pursuant to this section.  
23. The staff of the Comptroller's Office and any person with whose assistance the Comptroller carries out his functions shall keep secret any information obtained by them in the course of their work and shall give a written undertaking to such effect upon starting work. Duty of secrecy
24. The budget of the Comptroller's Office shall be determined by the Finance Committee of the Knesset, upon the proposal of the Comptroller, and shall be published together with the budget of the State. The Finance Committee may, upon the proposal of the Comptroller, approve changes in the budget of his Office. Budget of the Office
25. After the expiration of the financial year, the Comptroller shall submit the financial report of his Office for the approval of the Committee. Financial report to Committee
CHAPTER SIX: MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS  
26. The Comptroller and any person appointed by him for that purpose with the approval of the Committee shall, mutatis mutandis, have all the powers referred to in sections 8 to 11 and 27(b) and (d) of the Commissions of Enquiry Law, 5729-1968. Powers of commission of enquiry
27. (Repealed)  
28. (a) The following are liable to imprisonment for a term of one year or to a fine as prescribed in section 61(a)(2) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977: Penalties
    (1) a person who publishes a report that the Comptroller must submit in accordance with the provisions of section 15 or 20, or in accordance with the provisions of any other law, or an opinion that the Comptroller prepared pursuant to the provisions of section 21, or a person who publishes a part of such report or opinion, or of the contents thereof, before the prescribed time; in this section, "the prescribed time" means -  
      [a] in the matter of a report that must be submitted in accordance with the provisions of section 15, the time it must be laid on the table of the Knesset as provided in section 16;  
      [b] in the matter of a report that must be submitted in accordance with the provisions of section 20, or an opinion referred to in the provisions of section 21, the time of their publication as specified by the Comptroller in accordance with the provisions of those sections;  
      [c] in the matter of a report that must be submitted in accordance with the provisions of any other law, the time for submitting the report, and where a time is specified for its publication, the time of its publication;  
    (2) a person who publishes any report or opinion or a part thereof or of the contents thereof in contravention of the provisions of section 17;  
    (3) a person who without obtaining the Comptroller's permission publishes the results of an audit carried out by the Comptroller.  
  (b) The provisions of this section shall not release a person from criminal responsibility under any other law.  
29. If the Comptroller is temporarily unable to carry out his functions, the Committee shall appoint an Acting Comptroller for a period not exceeding three months; the Committee may extend the appointment for additional periods, provided that the sum total of all the periods served by the Acting Comptroller shall not exceed six months; if the Comptroller is unable to carry out his functions for a period of six consecutive months, he shall be considered to have resigned. Acting Comptroller
30. (a) No reports, opinions or other documents issued or prepared by the Comptroller in the discharge of his functions shall serve as evidence in any legal or disciplinary proceeding. Material not to serve as evidence
  (b) A statement received in the course of the discharge of the Comptroller's functions shall not serve as evidence in a legal or disciplinary proceeding, other than a criminal proceeding in respect of testimony on oath or affirmation obtained by virtue of the powers referred to in section 26.  
CHAPTER SEVEN: INVESTIGATION OF COMPLAINTS FROM THE PUBLIC  
31. (Repealed).  
32. (a) The Ombudsman shall carry out his functions with the assistance of a special unit in the State Comptroller's Office, to be known as the Office of the Ombudsman. The Director of the Office of the Ombudsman shall be appointed by the Committee upon the proposal of the Ombudsman and shall be directly responsible to him. The duty of announcing the vacancy under section 19 of the Civil Service (Appointments) Law, 5719-1959, shall not apply to the appointment of the Director of the Office of the Ombudsman. Unit for investigation of complaints
  (b) If the post of Director of the Office of the Ombudsman falls vacant or if the Director is for any reason unable to carry out his functions, the Ombudsman may entrust the carrying out of such functions to another person for a period not exceeding three months.  
33. Any person may submit a complaint to the Ombudsman. Complaint by whom
34. A complaint submitted in writing or taken down according to the complainant's oral statement shall be signed by the complainant and shall indicate his name and address. Modes of submitting a complaint
35. A complaint by a prisoner within the meaning of the Prisons Ordinance [New Version], 5732-1971, shall be submitted in a closed envelope, and the Commissioner of Prisons or a person empowered by him in that behalf shall forward it unopened to the Ombudsman. Complaint by prisoner
36. A complaint may be submitted against one of the following: Complaint against whom
    (1) an audited body within the meaning of paragraphs (1) to (6) of section 9;  
    (2) one of the bodies referred to in paragraphs (7) and (8) of section 9, to the extent that the Committee or the Ombudsman has decided that this chapter shall apply in respect thereof and notice to such effect has been published in Reshumot;  
    (3) an employee, office-holder or bearer of any function in any such body as referred to in paragraphs (1) or (2) of this section.  
37. The subject of a complaint may be - Complaint about what
    (1) an act directly injurious to, or directly withholding a benefit from, the complainant and  
    (2) if the complainant is a Member of the Knesset also an act directly injurious to, or directly withholding a benefit from, another person, such act being contrary to law or done without lawful authority or contrary to good administration or involving a too inflexible attitude or flagrant injustice; for this purpose, "act" include