Israeli justice minister weighs inquiry into state attorney’s office over leaks in Netanyahu cases

Ohana said he might start a formal investigation into leaks coming out of the State Attorney’s Office. 

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Minister of Justice Amir Ohana said on Wednesday that he was considering establishing a committee to investigate the actions of Israel’s State Attorney’s Office regarding leaks in corruption cases against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“My request to investigate the leaks of the prosecutors’ [office] I submitted to the Attorney General [Avichai] Mandelblit,” Ohana said in an interview with Israel Hayom.

“It’s very possible that if he doesn’t answer seriously the request I made at the press conference this week, I will use my authority and establish a government inspection committee to investigate the behavior of the prosecutors,” he said.

Ohana poured his wrath on the State Attorney’s Office in a surprise press conference on Tuesday evening, echoing the kind of “deep state” comments heard by right-wing politicians and media pundits in the U.S., describing an “attorney’s office within an attorney’s office” that was working to bring down politicians who weren’t to its liking.

Mandelblit and State Attorney Office head Shai Nitzan sent a joint letter on Tuesday evening rejecting Ohana’s remarks.

Ohana said on Wednesday, “I heard with regret the announcement of the attorney general and the state attorney. Who are they backing? A false declaration? The one Liat Ben Ari signed that she was not putting pressure on the deputy attorney – and afterwards it became clear she was recorded doing just that?”

Ben Ari heads the taxation and economic crimes division for the Tel Aviv district of the State Attorney’s Office. She led the three corruption case investigations against Netanyahu.

Mandelblit is currently deliberating whether to bring indictments against the prime minister in those cases.