Justice minister fires director-general Moshe Shilo

Justice minister fires d

By DAN IZENBERG
Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman announced on Wednesday that he has fired his director-general, Moshe Shilo, who held the position for more than three years. Shilo was originally appointed by Neeman's predecessor, Daniel Friedmann. According to reports in the media, Neeman intends to appoint Guy Rotkopf to replace Shilo. Rotkopf served as Friedmann's assistant during his term in office. He has a doctorate in law, specializing in criminal law, and teaches at the Academic Campus of the College of Administration in Rishon Lezion. During his tenure as Friedmann's assistant at the Justice Ministry, Rotkopf made it clear that he strongly supported the minister's policies including Friedmann's belief that the Supreme Court and the office of the attorney-general had too much power. Neeman gave no reason for firing Shilo. In a terse statement announcing his decision, he thanked the outgoing director-general for his services. In a message to ministry employees, Shilo said that it was "routine" for new ministers to choose their own directors-general. He said he was deeply satisfied by the progress made during his years in office in important matters related to the Justice Ministry and beyond, including the fight against human trafficking, the removal of obstacles to hiring Israeli Arabs in the civil service, and Israel's membership in the OECD. He also indicated that he intended to remain in the civil service. Shilo was born in 1955 and joined the Ministry of Justice in 1984, starting off in the Central District Attorney's Office. He later moved to the State Attorney's Office in Jerusalem and headed the appeals section until 2003, when he was appointed deputy director-general. Friedmann appointed Shilo director-general in 2006, after his first two choices, Boaz Okun and Yisrael Maimon, turned down the position.