Mazuz says won't remove Olmert from office
Attorney general clarifies it his not his job to determine if prime minister should take leave of absence, but stresses, 'A government which does not enjoy public trust cannot make tough decisions, or implement them'
Ever since the new suspicions against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were made public, Mazuz has been attacked as head of the legal system by the prime minister's associates, who claimed the new allegations were a coup attempt and expressed their anger over the manner the information was presented to the public.
He was responding to the criticism over the fact that Olmert remained in office despite the series of investigations launched against him. Mazuz was asked whether the prime minister could be forced to take a leave of absence.
"This question is not subject to a legal ruling at this stage, and certainly not to the ruling of the attorney general. This question should be presented to the prime minister himself," Mazuz replied.
He added that "it is not the attorney general's job to appoint prime ministers or remove them from office. It's also different from the question on whether a government worker or a minister should stay in office. At this stage, it's the political system's job."
'War on corruption requires patience'
Mazuz hinted, however, that Olmert's insistence to stay in office was problematic, saying that "a government which does not enjoy public trust cannot make tough decisions, or implement them.
"Political corruption represents a phenomenon. Where one uncovers one act of corruption there are probably satellites and additional corruption cases," he said. "The war against corruption is not a focused campaign like the Entebbe Operation, but rather a Sisyphean and ongoing system which requires patience and diligence for a long time."
According to new suspicions revealed Friday, several organizations were asked to fund Olmert's official trips abroad in his previous posts, with the funds being used to pay for the flights of his relatives as well.
The police are currently dealing with six different investigations against the prime minister, all of which are in "an advanced stage" and are being overseen by the Jerusalem Prosecutor's Office, the State Prosecutor's Office and the Attorney General's Office. Each investigation file was personally approved by Mazuz.
