Can White-Collar Crime Investigators Be Protected From Improper Pressures? The Case of Israel

• NCJ Number: 79808
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice V 9 Issue: 4 Dated: (1981) Pages: 265-288
• Author(s): E Stotland
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 24 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes the development of the fraud investigation division (FID) of the Israel Police Force and examines factors which have enabled this unit to successfully investigate white-collar crime in the establishment and to resist improper pressures.

Abstract

Although Israelis are highly politicized and likely to attempt to influence the Government with any available means, the FID has not been inhibited by political or quasi-political pressures. White-collar crime increased considerably following the Six Day War in 1967, but police and general governmental response to the problem was uneven before the establishment of the FID in 1974. A history of the FID's creation begins with a series of scandals which highlighted police inadequacy in dealing with fraud and actions taken by a new inspector general of police to develop a special white-collar crime division. By 1979, the FID had expanded to 90 employees, approximately half of whom were college graduates. The administration and jurisdiction of the FID are detailed, as are its major investigative areas. The attorney general indicted more than 50 percent of the cases sent by the FID, and 80 percent of the cases indicted led to conviction. The FID's good record of investigating important public figures in the past 5 years is illustrated by several cases. Most attempts to pressure FID investigators have been oblique and easily repelled. An examination of factors that have enabled the FID to function with integrity cites strong leadership, the commitment of its officers, and support from within the police force and the Ministry of Police. The single most important element has been the relative independence of the attorney general from political influence, since the cabinet position is appointed and has no fixed term. The integrity and prestige of the judiciary has also contributed to the FID's ability to resist pressures. Controls in the Israeli system against excessive police independence are reviewed and implications of the Israeli experience for the United States are discussed. A table and 10 references are provided.