Justice Ministry legal adviser says AG can’t be involved in Sde Teiman leak investigation

In a striking development, the legal adviser to the Justice Ministry writes in a legal opinion that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara must not be involved in the investigation of the Sde Teiman abuse video leak scandal due to the “possible linkage” of that investigation to an earlier, internal probe by the Military Advocate General’s office into the leak that Baharav-Miara oversaw.

First reported by Channel 12 News and i24 News, the legal opinion states that it does not come to “cast aspersions” regarding the attorney general’s involvement in the investigation, but rather “to ensure the independence of the investigative process.”

The legal opinion, which was requested by Baharav-Miara herself, greatly bolsters Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s claim that Baharav-Miara must be sidelined from dealing with the investigation, as well as a High Court petition to that effect.

The High Court had given Baharav-Miara until noon today to respond to that petition, but her office requested an extension until 10 p.m. — possibly due to the legal opinion, which the court will likely defer to.

Levin has insisted that all officials in the Attorney General’s Office are barred from dealing with the investigation, and has appointed the State Ombudsman for Judges Asher Kula to oversee the probe, a move Baharav-Miara has strongly objected to.

It remains to be seen if the High Court will approve Levin’s choice of Kula, or empower one of the deputy attorney generals to oversee the investigation.