Justice minister trying to dig up dirt on state prosecutors – report

Justice Minister Amir Ohana has reportedly tried to dig up dirt on chief prosecutor Shai Nitzan in what was seen as a bid to undermine the criminal proceedings against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to a Channel 13 news report, Ohana has asked the Southern District State Prosecutor’s office for information and material on Nitzan to determine if there was any malpractice in his handling of the Netanyahu cases.

The report published Sunday said Ohana also took a picture of a computer screen displaying information about Nitzan and the Netanyahu cases during a meeting with a senior Justice Ministry official earlier this month.

Channel 13 said Ohana’s visit to the office and his snapping the photo — which is against regulations — was an indication the Netanyahu loyalist was actively trying to discredit his own ministry for the sake of the prime minister.

Ohana’s office on Sunday defended the  photo, claiming in a statement to Channel 13 that it had received complaints that senior state prosecutors at the Southern District Office were mishandling investigations.

The statement said that Nitzan visited the prosecutor’s office to meet with the director and referred her to the Justice Ministry’s internal auditor.

It also said Ohana took the photo in the context of discussing the case, saying he only did so to help coordinate his attendance at a meeting with prosecutors.

“He didn’t end up attending the meeting, and the photo wasn’t used for anything. But [even if he did] there is nothing wrong with that.”

The report comes days after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced his intention to indict Netanyahu in three corruption cases.

The announcement was immediately denounced by Netanyahu and his allies, who have accused the legal establishment of trying to oust the prime minister for political reasons.

Shortly after Mandelblit’s announcement on Thursday that he intended to indict Netanyahu in three criminal cases on the charges of bribe, fraud and breach of trust, the prime minister held a press conference in which he accused prosecutors of seeking a “coup” against him.

Netanyahu claimed the process had been tainted by various improprieties and accused law enforcement authorities of “selective enforcement” against him. He demanded “investigating the investigators.”

After being pilloried by opponents and media figures who accused him of undermining the rule of law, Netanyahu issued a second statement on Friday in which he promised he would ultimately accept the court’s decisions, but continued to demand a probe into police and the prosecution.

Meanwhile, Ohana has been attacking the state prosecution, saying it conducted the Netanyahu investigations without any oversight.

“I think that my [legal] system is problematic. I have expressed this in recent weeks,” Ohana told Channel 12, adding that there was “selective law enforcement.”

As justice minister, Ohana oversees the state prosecutor’s office.

He was appointed minister in June, during the period of the interim governments, largely due to his very public loyalty to Netanyahu.

“There are prosecutors breaking the law and nobody checks them,” he said. “I call on the state ombudsman to delve into this and check these accusations,” he said.

Nitzan, Ben-Ari and Mandelblit have all reportedly been receiving additional police protection over the last year.

The only senior Likud figure to speak out to date against the assault on the legal system is Gideon Sa’ar, who has launched a leadership challenge against Netanayhu.

“This is not an attempted coup. That is not accurate,” said Sa’ar on Saturday. “It is not responsible to make this claim.”

Meanwhile, there were widespread protests across Israel over the weekend, with demonstrators both for and against Netanyahu.

On Saturday, protesters converged in separate rallies outside the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem. Several hundred supporters of Netanyahu chanted in support of the premier, with placards decrying the “criminal media” warning of a “black day for democracy” and demanding: “Stop the coup.”

Around a hundred rallied against the prime minister in Jerusalem, while around 2,500 activists gathered in Tel Aviv to demand his resignation.

The Labor party also called on Netanyahu to resign, projecting slogans on to a bridge over a main highway in central Israel.

Democratic Union leader Nitzan Horowitz called on Netanyahu to resign and for his Likud colleagues to stand up to him.

“I call on my political opponents, members of Likud, these are the days of the political decline of the outgoing prime minister. There is life after Netanyahu,” Horowitz said.