Last update - 00:00 11/02/2007
Friedmann promises to push bill to fight against bureaucracy
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
New Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann on Sunday outlined parts of his agenda for his term in office, which include legislation to fight against bureaucracy and giving legal status to children of foreign workers.
Speaking at a changing-of-the-guard ceremony at the ministry, Friedmann said that he plans to appoint private-sector lawyers to judgeships at every level and establish a disciplinary court for ministers and Knesset members. Among the elements of his plan are the following:
* Strengthening the magistrate's and district courts, which, he said, "bear the brunt of service to the public." These courts "are carrying an almost intolerable load, and I will do everything I can to strengthen them," he added, noting that among other things, this means
improving alternative means of resolving legal disputes, such as mediation and arbitration.
* Appointing private-sector lawyers as judges. Such lawyers, he said, "know commercial, contract, corporate and securities law not just from books, but from practical experience. And on the criminal side, I'd like to see defense lawyers, who know the system not only from one
side" - a reference to the common practice of appointing prosecutors as judges - "but from the other side."
* Organized crime. Friedmann said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has promised him funding for additional judges who will specialize in organized and serious crime cases, as well as prosecutors specializing in these areas. As a pilot project, one such panel of judges will be formed and start hearing cases every day, in order to finish them quickly.
* A disciplinary court for elected officials. Though Friedmann wants to advance this issue, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz prefers to await the recommendations of the Shamgar Committee, which is drafting a code of ethics for elected officials. Mazuz hopes that this committee will recommend establishment of a disciplinary court.
* Legislating sentencing standards. Friedmann wants to promote a bill, first proposed by former justice minister Tzipi Livni, that would lay down criteria for sentencing. "There must be less randomness," he said. "Judicial discretion will be preserved, but there will be points
of departure." For instance, he said, a clear distinction should be made between "professional criminals" and first-time offenders, who "deserve another chance."
* Other legislation. This will include enacting laws, in conjunction with the Interior Ministry, to give legal status to children of foreign workers and to children of previous marriages among non-Jewish immigrants now married to Jews; other human rights legislation; a new local authorities law; and a "law for the war on bureaucracy." Friedmann said that he still has only general ideas on the latter, but that it might, for instance, state that if a government body fails to respond to a citizen's request within a certain time period, the request will be considered approved.
Several senior ministry officials devoted part of their remarks to addressing criticism of the legal system, in light of Friedmann's record as a harsh critic of the system. State Prosecutor Eran Shendar, for instance, said he hoped Friedmann would "stand firm against all those who attack the law enforcement system out of extraneous considerations."
Mazuz added: "Our system is not free of flaws, but we in the law enforcement system do our jobs loyally, in good faith and according to our best professional judgment."