[SEE UPDATE AT END OF ARTICLE]

Veteran Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Eli Simchayoff does not want to step down, but Mayor Nir Barkat has signaled that if an indictment is handed down against him in the Holyland investigation as expected, he will have to resign. The deputy mayor’s name, along with others, was already linked to the ongoing investigation in April 2010 as was reported by YWN-ISRAEL.

Simchayoff however is not one to just accept the mayor’s decision, insisting there is no reason for him to step down for as long as he has not been convicted of breaking the law. He hired the services of attorney Irit Baumhorn, who sent a sharply-worded letter to the Jerusalem attorney general, Amnon Merchav, stating it simply is illegal to fire him if indicted.

Apparently the mayor announced at a city council meeting on January 19, 2012 that he plans to fire Simchayoff on Sunday, a move that enjoyed widespread support, realizing as the case against Holyland suspects moves forward, the deputy mayor will be indicted and the mayor wishes to distance him from the city’s leadership circle.

Baumhorn maintains the mayor may not just unilaterally reach such a decision, and the process is unacceptable and illegal. Baumhorn is calling for a hearing for her client, a minimal step for the deputy mayor, who in the eyes of the law is innocent until proven guilty.

AS WE PUBLISH ARTICLE: Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has moved ahead as planned and suspended the deputy mayor from his post, stripping him of all privileges associated with his senior municipal post.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)