Supreme Court Refuses to Suspend Olmert — for
now
Jerusalem, August 4 — Israel’s Supreme Court dismissed a petition by attorney and journalist Yoav Yitzhak to suspend Prime Minister Olmert from office for the purpose of completing his police interrogation.
Olmert has been interrogated by the police in Friday morning sessions of an hour or two every few weeks. Police have complained that the sessions are too short and that Olmert drags out questioning, spars verbally with interrogators, and generally acts in a manner meant to frustrate the interrogation. The Prime Minister’s spokesmen claim that Olmert is cooperating and that the time he has budgeted for police interrogations are all that a busy Prime Minister can spare.
Acting in the wake of police complaints, Atty Yitzhak petitioned the Supreme Court to order Olmert temporarily suspended from office so that several days can be devoted to intense interrogation. The Supreme Court rejected his plea.
Commenting on Yitzhak’s plea, Attorney General Mazuz said last week that he had no intention of suspending a serving Prime Minister, a decision that was essentially political in nature. The Court upheld Mazuz’ view, stating that the suspension of a serving Prime Minister must be regarded as a highly exceptional act. If Olmert exhibited a pattern of obstruction of justice, however, the court ruled that the Attorney General could suspend him. The Court confirmed that the Attorney General had the authority to suspend Olmert if he should see fit.
The burden of the court’s decision is to confirm that the Attorney General has the authority to suspend the Prime Minister for cause, but to refuse to interfere with the Attorney General’s discretion in exercising or not exercising that authority. Refusal to interfere with the Attorney general’s exercise of his authority upholds a pattern the Court has adopted in the past.
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