Former Kadima accountant Yitzchak Hadad submitted a criminal complaint against the heads of Kadima to the Tel Aviv Magistrate Court on Monday. In the complaint Hadad charges he was slandered and scapegoated by the heads of Kadima who sought to shift the blame for fiscal and legal deficiencies in Kadima to him. Hadad's decision was concurrent with a decision by coalition chairman Ze’ev Elkin (Likud) and his fellow faction heads to refer charges of alleged corruption in Kadima to the Knesset State Control Committee. The committee will deal with allegations of financial impropriety made by Kadima treasurer Itzik Hadad in an interview with Channel 1 reporter Ayala Hasson broadcast on Friday night. Elkin expressed hope that the committee would take the allegations seriously, but noted the State Control Committee is chaired by MK Ronnie Bar-On – a confidant of Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni. Legally, Bar-On must convene the committee to discuss the issue within 10 days – but is not required by law to summon Hadad to testify. Elkin said he hoped Bar-On would summon Hadad to the hearing. For his part, Bar-On said he would not “stand in the way of democracy.” Livni denied Hadad’s allegations at the start of Kadima’s faction meeting on Monday – claiming Hadad was "being investigated on suspicion of several serious crimes." She did not specify what those crimes might be, but added that Kadima had initiated legal action against Hadad and Channel 1. Haded, however, is not the only person to level accusations of fiscal malfeasance and managerial irregularities at Kadima's leadership in recent months. State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss cited "irregularities" in Kadima's inner workings in a report earlier this year. MK Avi Ditcher (Kadima) - who plans to challenge Livni for leadership of the party in its next primaries – openly referred to " villains who mishandled public funds " when attacking Livni's leadership. Ditcher, a former Shin Bet director and Minister of Internal Security, also accused Livni of anti-democratic tactics saying she was "no recipe for a solution."
