_a.jpg "Photo: Niv Calderon")
Shula Zaken
Photo: Niv Calderon
Suspension of former Olmert top aide ends
In four days, the suspension period of the former Prime Minister's Office bureau chief will end. Shula Zaken will be able to return to the PM's office. Civil Service Commission decides not to expand the suspension that began when suspicions of her involvement in the tax scandal were published
Former Prime Minister's Office Bureau Chief Shula Zaken will be able to return to the PM's office in four days. Thursday, the Civil Service Commission decided not to extend Zaken's suspension in accordance with the recommendation of the police. At the same time, the State Prosecution announced that Zaken will be allowed to return to the PM's office but not as the bureau's chief.
In April 2007, police recommended that Zaken be indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust, along with former Tax Authority heads Jacky Matza and Eitan Rob, Zaken's brother businessman Yoram Karshi and businessman Kobi Ben-Gur.
Zaken's attorney Micha Fetman responded to the investigators' recommendations and said he was not surprised by the decision: "This notion emerged at the start of the investigation, and as it continued we were not under the impression that something had changed. The investigation does not deal with a classic bribery affair. There are no suspicions that Shula Zaken asked for or received anything for herself. The suspicions refer to her involvement in the appointment of then-Tax Authority chief Jacky Matza, a matter which is simply untrue. I believe that the issue will be handled by the court, where we will be able to convince the judges that this never happened," he said.
The tax scandal broke January 2 after the Police National Fraud Investigation Unit raided Zaken's house and those of the other suspects. According to police, private businessmen have been involved in the appointment of civil service senior officials, and of taking advantage of this to grant tax benefits to cronies.
