_a.jpg "Photo: Niv Calderon")
PM's bureau chief suspended for 6 months
State prosecutor says investigation material on Tax Authority affair to be handed over to his office within two months ahead of decision on indictments
The prime minister's bureau chief Shula Zaken has been suspended for six months, State Prosecutor Eran Shendar said Saturday in an interview with Channel 2.
The suspension was carried out due to Zaken's alleged involvement in the Tax Authority corruption affair.
"The existing evidence has already led to the suspension of quite a lot of people, including Mrs. Zaken who was suspended for six months following an order issued by the civil service commissioner," Shendar said.
Addressing the conviction of former Justice Minister Haim Ramon, the state prosecutor rejected the claims regarding the indictment.
"The case was professionally handled by the State Prosecutor's Office team with a minimal number of errors. The new justice minister will take office and will be proven wrong."
He added, "We believed from the start, and at the beginning we didn’t even know who it was, that an adult person who suddenly kissed an IDF officer while inserting his tongue had committed an offense of indecent conduct, and therefore it was appropriate to indict him.
"Nonetheless, we are now in a different situation than three weeks ago, as the court unanimously accepted the prosecution's stance that it happened against (the soldier's) will."
'Israeli leadership not corrupt'
Shendar was asked about the meeting held between Justice Ministry senior officials and the new minister, Prof. Daniel Friedmann.
"It seems that the rule of law is no less important to me than it is important to him. I am certain that we can work in cooperation. We are not far from Prof. Friedmann in terms of the need to maintain the rule of law."
Shendar said that he was personally following the investigations involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, but rejected the impression that the Israeli leadership was corrupt.
"There are definitely issues related to phenomena of corruption, but we must keep everything in proportion. I am not ignoring the investigations, but we must not forget that in Britain a prime minister was recently interrogated twice on suspicion of selling noble ranks. We are unfortunately not unusual.
"There are phenomena, but we are a society with substantial strength and this gives us power to stand. We must know how to deal with these phenomena as we are trying to do."
