Former City of David cmdr. charged for breach of trust over secret relationship with officer

The affair was exposed via an anonymous letter and an article, prompting the commander to delete all messages with the officer from his phone to hide the relationship.

The Justice Ministry's Police Investigations Department (PID) filed an indictment on Thursday against Avi Cohen, the former police commander of Jerusalem’s City of David, on charges of breach of trust, Israel Police announced.

The indictment, submitted to the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, alleges that Cohen recruited a female police officer with whom he had a romantic relationship and subsequently granted her favors in his capacity as a senior officer.

According to the indictment, filed by Attorney Sivan Speiser of the PID, the relationship between Cohen and the female officer began while she was still employed by the police. The relationship continued even after she left the force.

Cohen later recommended her for reemployment and appointed her as his personal assistant without disclosing the conflict of interest stemming from their personal relationship.

Relationship exposed

The affair was exposed after an anonymous letter and an article on the matter were published. In response, Cohen reportedly deleted all messages with the officer from his phone to hide the relationship.

The investigation, led by the PID, resulted in charges against Cohen for breach of trust and obstruction of justice.