Justice minister lauds ‘integrity’ of judge who ordered Qatargate suspects’ release to house arrest

Justice Minister Yariv Levin welcomes the decision of a judge at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court who has ordered the release to house arrest of the two key suspects in the so-called Qatargate scandal.

The court ruled earlier today that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aides Jonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein are to be released to house arrest until April 22, rejecting a police request to extend their remand for a week.

Police submitted an appeal against the decision in the following hours, asserting that the judge had acted on his own personal interests.

“What happened today is another step in the collapse of the selective enforcement policy that has been implemented here for decades,” Levin crows, calling the ruling “a testament to the new winds blowing in the judicial system.”

Levin, who is the architect of a slew of highly controversial judicial overhaul legislation, claims that due to his work as justice minister, “more and more judges are showing integrity and independence, and are not submitting to the dictates of the system’s heads.”

“The struggle to change the judicial system, to stop selective enforcement and to restore democracy is a difficult struggle against those who have held corrupt and unlimited power for decades,” Levin triumphs. Determination is required, unity is required, and patience is also required. Today, we can already see the fruits of our struggle.”