Mandelblit: Very Difficult to Defend Gov’t Delay in Appointing Senior Officials

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit sent a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday morning, stressing there is no legal justification to postpone formal appointments in senior government positions.

“As long as no change commences in the situation, it will be very difficult to defend the government’s conduct in the stated legal procedures,” Mandelblit wrote.

Several petitions were filed to the High Court over the delay in appointments of director general of the Prime Minister’s Office, director general of the Second Channel and Radio Authority, chairman of the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council and director general of the Justice Ministry.

The government is due to present a reply by the end of next week.

Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn has begun the appointment process for the new state prosecutor, and will bring it to the government for approval as soon as possible.

Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz urged Interior Minister Amir Ohana (Likud) to promptly appoint a police commissioner as “the state now needs stability and full functioning.”

Meanwhile on Monday, Mandelblit presented Netanyahu a final legal opinion, forbidding the prime minister from getting involved in the appointment of law enforcement and legal officials.

The opinion was written due to a conflict of interest arrangement over Netanyahu’s trial on corruption charges – about which he vehemently denies any wrongdoing.