Ayalon Highways Chairman Idan David Faces Probe Over Inflated Resume Claims
An investigative report reveals major discrepancies in the resume of Ayalon Highways chairman Idan David, appointed with backing from Minister Miri Regev and Minister David Amsalem.
The appointment of Idan David as chairman of Ayalon Highways has sparked a major controversy following an investigative report by Channel 12 journalist Yossi Mizrahi. The report revealed dramatic discrepancies between David's declared professional experience and his actual track record.
Discrepancies in Qualifications and Credentials
According to the findings, the documents and resume submitted by David to the appointments committee headed by retired judge Shulamit Dotan contained heavily inflated figures. David claimed to have managed budgets totaling around one billion shekels and supervised approximately 400 employees. However, the investigation revealed that he actually managed fewer than ten employees and budgets amounting to only about 20 million shekels.
The report also scrutinized his declared tenure as chief financial officer at the Megalit company between 2012 and 2016. Officials listed on his verification documents denied signing them, and no active offices or employees from that period could be located. Furthermore, before stepping into massive government budgets, David was involved in a private company that collapsed with debts totaling millions of shekels.
"Any attempt to claim that David forged a document or made use of such a document is extremely grave," representatives for Idan David stated in response.
Political Backing and Institutional Friction
David, appointed as a confidant of Minister of Transport Miri Regev and backed by Minister for Government Companies David Amsalem, took charge of a state-owned enterprise managing around 3 billion shekels annually without any prior background in transportation.
His tenure has been marked by severe managerial tensions. In recent months, he pushed for the termination of Ayalon Highways CEO Orly Stern, a highly respected professional in the infrastructure sector. The Government Companies Authority repeatedly blocked these dismissal attempts, warning against non-professional motivations behind the move.
The Government Companies Authority announced it will launch a thorough review of the data and documents submitted to the appointments committee, as potential criminal implications are being examined.
