Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said during a Jerusalem convention of the Movement for Quality Government on Wednesday that "corruption exists in the government, and it's difficult to fight those with capability and immunity.
"All those who violate the law have an interest in concealing their actions," he said, "the past few years have seen several attempts by various groups to purposely weaken the law enforcement agencies."
Mazuz specifically cast criticism on Vice Premier Haim Ramon, saying "a senior minister who was convicted of sexual offenses two
years ago is heading a systematic crusade against the law enforcement system. He is seeking to limit its authority and undermine its status. Is it conceivable that people who were indicted and convicted will initiate an investigation against those who investigated them?"
Mazuz was referring to accusations made Ramon's attorneys according to which police and the prosecution of "obstructing justice" in the minister's sexual harassment case by conducting illegal wiretaps.
Ramon said in response that "Mazuz, the State Prosecutor's Office, and the police must have a good reason for conducting a crusade against the establishment of a legal committee to investigate the way in which a minister of justice is indicted."
According to Ramon, "the attorney general is conducting a scare campaign among government ministers. There is no precedent for someone who is supposed to be under investigation by a committee, to terrorize the government in order to prevent its establishment."
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss said during the convention that public figures must take responsibility when they have acted immorally. "I don't mean the gatekeeper, I mean the person at the head of the pyramid, or its center," he said.
Lindenstrauss added that "one must not distinguish between members of the government and other public figures. The greater the deed or the error committed by the public figure, the greater the personal responsibility that rests on his shoulders."
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