Israeli High Court: “Olmert could be suspended if he fails to comply with police requests”

Tuesday August 05, 2008 00:12 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported that the High Court of Justice rejected a petition submitted a Yoav Yitzhak, an Israeli journalist who demanded the Israel’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, should be temporarily suspended during the investigation against him. The court said that Olmert could be declared incapacitated if he does not comply with the investigator’s requests.

Israeli PM - Ehud Olmert

The journalist demanded Israel’s Attorney General, Mencahem Mazuz, to temporarily suspend Olmert as he is being probed in six open cases. He said that Olmert must be required to comply with the investigation and its requests.

In response, the court said that if Olmert is found to be obstructing the investigation and fails to comply with the police requests, then he could be legally declared incapacitated.  

The High Court Justices said in their ruling that the prime minster can only be suspended in exceptional cases, and that they have no legal ground to intervene in the decision of Israel’s Attorney General, Menahim Mazuz.

Mazuz earlier said that “it is not up to the court, or the attorney general, to suspend the Prime Minister”, Haaretz said, he also added that this issue is within the responsibility of the political system.

The High Court justices said that Olmert must cooperate with the investigation and must act according to the circumstances and depending on his appointments. The journalist, Yitzhak, demanded the court to rule that Olmert must cooperate at any given time.

Yitzhak stated in his petition that Olmert is mocking the police and the investigators by claiming that he would not be available for questioning, and added the appointment calendar of Olmert should be handed to the police.

So far, Olmert was questioned, under caution, four times over charges of corruption when he served as the Trade Minister and Jerusalem’s Mayor.

Last week, Olmert said that he will not run for his party’s Kadima elections, and that he would resign as soon the as party chooses a new leader. He repeatedly denied all charges against him and said that he would resign if indicted. 

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