Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit appeared at a conference of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Eilat, at which he addressed investigations into the prime minister and cabinet ministers, as well as his role in the matter of the law permitting grocery stores to open in Tel Aviv on Shabbos, being of an opinion contrary to Minister Aryeh Deri.

Mandelblit, who explained the role of the attorney general, said that the Justice Ministry is working as fast as possible to bring the truth forward without compromising professionalism.

“In the framework of the nation’s chief prosecutor, I address various criminal cases. Naturally, not every criminal case comes to the attorney general’s desk, but only those cases that have a special public interest or special sensitivity. There are provisions of the law that determine that a criminal investigation against certain public figures will open only with the approval of the Attorney General,” said Mandelblit, referring to the investigations being conducted against the Prime Minister. “In the investigations conducted in the case of the prime minister, the cases known as ‘1000’ and ‘2000’, the cases are being handled by police investigators, the prosecuting attorney, and legal experts who are familiar with the issues that arise in the investigation, We all have a common goal – to uncover the truth”.

He added that “the authority to decide in proceedings against the prime minister is given to the attorney general. Some view this authority as a might but I view it as a duty, a duty to the public, and I have instructed the police investigators to do everything possible to clarify the suspicions. To probe the truth regarding actions that can establish criminal offenses and to leave no stone unturned.”

“Police investigators, headed by the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Department Deputy Commissioner Manny Yitzchaki, and the head of the National Fraud Investigation Unit Assistant Commissioner Koresh Barnor, continue to work, even today, professionally and energetically to collect documents, and to clarify additional facts that I will not elaborate on.

Mandelblit emphasized that naturally only some of the directions of the investigation are revealed. “Information regarding the findings in investigations is published, but due to considerations regarding the best interests of the investigation the time has not yet come to relate openly to these reports, and perhaps to allow leaks of this kind and others, and allegations made by certain parties that might disrupt the investigation, and to prepare the suspects for their expected investigations. “When the investigation is still in progress, I will suffice to say that the investigation is proceeding with great vigor, but more importantly, the investigation is progressing and will continue to progress professionally,” Mandelblit added.

The attorney general brought two examples on this subject, the first of which was the opening of the supermarkets on Shabbos well as the conversion law they sought to promote in the government. “In the case of the supermarkets on Shabbos, we thought – all along the way – that the decision to open the supermarkets on Shabbos in Tel Aviv was to be left to the political echelon, subject of course to the requirements of the law. In line with this, full legal backing is given to the position of the cabinet which requested evaluating the matter in the framework of the special committee made up of ministerial director-generals. The authority was then handed back to the Interior Minister. However, since the government delayed the decision, and even when a decision was reached, there was a delay in publicizing it, the result was that the court had no choice but to decide, to reach a judicial decision where the right thing was to make a policy decision. I cannot expand any more on the matter”, he added.

Regarding the conversion law, he pointed out the High Court of Justice was expected to announce its ruling soon, a decision regarding Reform and Conservative conversions that took place in Israel, and to adopt this too in the context of private Orthodox conversions conducted in Israel. In other words, to determine that in the absence of conflicting legislation, the state is required to recognize them.

He adds the political echelon favors going in the direction of legislation after his office determined the legality of the bill. Again, the most recent decision to ask the High Court to grant a six-month delay to permit a committee being appointed to probe the matters at hand is one for the political echelon too. Mandelblit stated he favors the court granting the six-month delay and refrain from ruling at this time in light of these events, concluding he is pleased with the court’s decision to comply.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)