While Attorney General Menachem Mazuz during recent months hinted he may resign ahead of completion of her term on January 31, 2010, aides are now signaling he is expected to remain in office, completing his full term.

Mazuz appears eager to ‘clean his desk’ of files relating to senior officials, with staff members stating that when this is accomplished, he may entertain leaving office early. The cases involving the attorney general’s office and Israel Police pertaining to former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are not expected to be completed by the end of his term in January 2010.

The Olmert cases are already on hold as the Supreme Court ruled against the attorney general, permitting the former prime minister to travel abroad to seek medical care for prostate cancer, which reports from North America indicate has progressed since first being diagnosed.

Regarding Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, police are expected to hand over their case to the attorney general in the coming weeks, and Mazuz’s office is expected to announce a decision in a relatively short period of time.

In the meantime, the cabinet committee responsible for recommending candidates to serve as the next attorney general is expected to begin the search in the immediate future.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)