Justice Minister Ohana to appoint Shai Nitzan replacement
Nitzan is due to step down on December 15 having served out his full term.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBJustice Minister Amir Ohana speaks at the Israeli Bar Association on June 10, 2019(photo credit: YOSSI ZAMIR)
Acting Justice Minister Amir Ohana announced on Monday that he will soon appoint an acting replacement for State Attorney Shai Nitzan.Nitzan is due to step down on December 15 having served out his full term.In normal circumstances with a functioning government and Knesset, a special committee would have been working on replacing Nitzan some time ago.Because of the multiple elections and extended period with only transitional governments, the law says that permanent replacements should not be made for most senior posts.This leaves Ohana and Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit with either the option of continuing Nitzan’s term in office until a new permanent appointment, or appointing an acting replacement.Ohana said that the five leading candidates are: Deputy State Attorney for Criminal Matters Shlomo Lemberger, Deputy Attorney-General Raz Nizri, deputy chief of the Central District Attorney’s Office Orli Ben Ari-Ginzburg, Economic Crimes Division director Dan Eldad, and prosecutor Oshra Gaz-Eisenstein from the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office.Notably absent was Deputy State Attorney Liat Ben-Ari, who led the prosecution of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Mandelblit responded to Ohana’s announcement saying that Lemberger should be appointed as Nitzan’s temporary replacement.He added that in normal circumstances, he, as attorney-general, would run the selection committee.In light of that, Mandelblit said that Ohana’s right to decide on a different candidate was limited.
