Abir Kara
Abir KaraDanny Shem Tov, Knesset spokesperson

The Israel Police have opened a criminal investigation into the double vote of Deputy Minister Abir Kara (Yamina) in the Knesset plenum several months ago, Channel 12 News reported on Tuesday evening.

According to the report, investigators recently collected the security cameras that documented the double vote, collected testimonies from Knesset members who were present at the scene and are expected to interrogate Kara as a suspect.

Kara said in response, "I was informed through the media that a criminal investigation had been opened against me. Of course, should I be asked to, I will cooperate as I did in real time with an investigation conducted in the Knesset which revealed that the vote was conducted innocently. It should be noted that as soon as the mistake was made, I warned about it so that it would be corrected as has been documented and already investigated."

The incident occurred during the month of July in a vote on the Social Security Bill. Kara voted for himself and then also pressed the voting panel of coalition chairwoman Idit Silman.

He argued in his defense that he had done so by mistake and immediately afterwards the Speaker of the Knesset held a re-vote on the bill.

The opposition, however, did not agree to move on and threatened to demand that the police launch an investigation into the incident. MK Shlomo Karhi from the Likud even turned to the Attorney General and called on him to open an investigation against the deputy minister.

The Deputy Minister's Office said after the incident, "The Deputy Minister, MK Abir Kara, inadvertently voted from an incorrect computer of MK Idit Silman and immediately informed the Speaker of the Knesset so that the vote could be corrected."