BREAKING NEWS

Justice Ministry negotiating conflict of interest issues with new attorney-general

One revelation in Sunday’s High Court of Justice hearing over whether to veto Avichai Mandelblit’s appointment as the next attorney-general was that the Justice Ministry is already negotiating with its future boss to resolve conflict of interest issues.
The head of the state’s unit for handling High Court issues, Osnat Hendel, told an expanded five-justice panel that there was no general conflict of interest for Mandelblit to move directly from being cabinet secretary to attorney-general.
At the same time, she said that where they are conflict of interest issues about specific decisions he made as cabinet secretary, the sides are already negotiating a framework “in these days leading up to his entering the position” and that “the conflict of interest framework will be explained in the near future.”
One issue not explicitly raised by the High Court was whether Mandelblit, expected to begin February 1, would need to refrain from involvement in prosecutorial decisions involving the Netanyahu family.
Sara Netanyahu is currently under investigation in the Prime Ministers’ Residence Affair and the prime minister could be back under the microscope regarding the Bibi Tours Affair depending on the state comptroller report’s conclusions later in the spring.