Ne'eman wants State Prosecutor's Office supervised

On backdrop of failures in Ramon case, Ynet learns justice minister to announce plan to appoint internal supervising body within his ministry

Aviad Glickman |Published: 06.29.10 , 09:33

Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman is expected to announce his plan to appoint an internal body within the Justice Minister to supervise the State Prosecutor's Office, Ynet learned Monday, several hours after State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss issued a scathing report regarding wiretapping in the kissing affair involving former Minister Haim Ramon.

The justice minister has yet to decide who will head the supervising body, but implied that it would be a retired judge or former attorney general.

Ne'eman has said in the past, both in closed conversations and in legal forums, that the State Prosecutor's Office needs a supervising body. He even discussed the matter with State Prosecutor Moshe Lador and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein. He said he was waiting for the state comptroller's opinion before making a final decision.

Although the decision is not directly linked to the comptroller's opinion in the Ramon affair, the interim report on the matter was considered. The justice minister believes that the future supervisor will have to be in touch with the state comptroller and that no legislation will be required.

The supervisors, who will be a person with knowledge of the procedures of the State Prosecutor's Office, will operate in accordance with complaints received by him, as well as his own findings.

State Prosecutor Lador. To be supervised? (Photo: Yaron Brener)

Ne'eman stressed in a closed forum that the attorney general will be the one to make the final decision on prosecution issues. He said the new investigative body would not replace the state comptroller or other bodies.

'External investigative body needed'

Minister is not the only one who believes the State Prosecutor's Office. Following the state prosecutor's scathing report, former Justice Minister Amnon Rubinstein said there was a need to "appoint an ombudsman for the State Prosecutor's Office in order to allow minimal supervision over this powerful institution."

The previous justice minister, Professor Daniel Friedmann, says an external body must be appointed to handle "the failures of the State Prosecutor's Office".

"The report shows just how important it is to have an external and independent investigative body outside the State Prosecutor's Office in order to handle the failures taking place within," he told Ynet.

The State Prosecutor's Office said in response to the idea, "This is a complicated and serious issue which is on the agenda of the state prosecutor, who is cooperating with a number of elements on this matter.

"The state prosecutor has expressed his support for appointing the appropriate forum to control the work of the State Prosecutor's Office, but has clarified more than once that this should be done in a way which benefits public interest, rather than harms it, and in a way which does not clash with existing control systems – the Civil Service Commission, the Bar Association, the state comptroller and others.