The Minister clarified in a letter he sent to Hershkowitz: The agreement of the Supreme Court is not a condition for appointing mm to Shi Nitzan. • The letter came in response to the Commissioner's claim that he did not consult with him
Minister Amir Ohana // Photo: Oren Ben Hakun
Justice Minister Amir Ohana sent a letter of reply to State Commissioner Daniel Hershkowitz shortly after its publication. The State Commissioner has admitted that although State Attorney Shai Nitzan is resigning today, he was not consulted as required by law to find a replacement. This implies a disagreement between the minister and Attorney General Avihai Mandelblit, who demanded the appointment of Shlomo Lamberger, who serves as deputy to the state prosecutor for criminal matters.
Minister Ohana wrote in his letter that it is not mandatory by law to consult with the Attorney General on finding an alternate for the State Attorney. "There is no mandatory consultation in the Attorney General's Law," the Minister wrote, "not necessarily requiring his consent. Above all, and as I announced, I was also consulted with the Attorney General. None of them will be foreign to you. "
The Minister also wrote that "as you well know and remember, I consulted you and met with you on the appointment of the State Attorney, not once, but twice, and beyond our telephone conversations. At these meetings, the names of the candidates, their roles, their background, their experience and their skills came up. It is not clear to me, then, what the letter meant today to the Attorney General Vali, stating that "the duty of consultation with the Civil Service Commissioner has not yet been fulfilled."
Ohana is expected to make his decision on the attorney general among the candidates he interviewed in the near future, but if he does not reach a decision by the time of Nitzan's departure, with no state attorney, his powers will be transferred to Attorney General Avihai Mandelblit. In any scenario, it will most likely be a time not to exceed a few days until the Minister's decision is made public.