Last update - 00:00 31/05/2007
State: PM to appoint finance minister after Labor Party primaries
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert intends to appoint a new finance minister shortly after the second round of the Labor Party primaries in less than two weeks, the state prosecution told the High Court of Justice on Thursday.
According to state prosecution attorney Dina Zilber, who was presenting the state's response to a Land of Israel Legal Forum petition, said Attorney General Menachem Mazuz in recent weeks again impressed upon Olmert the need to speedily appoint a permanent finance minister.
Olmert is currently acting finance minister, following Abraham Hirchson's decision to suspend himself in the wake of embezzlement allegations.
The Land of Israel Legal Forum petition argued among other things that Olmert himself has a conflict of interest in serving as finance minister, given the criminal investigation into his role in the sale of Bank Leumi, during his tenure as finance minister.
The prosecution said, however, "when there was a need for a decision by the finance minister on an issue in which the conflict of interest became clearer - a deadline extension for a group that won a tender - this issue was not handled by the prime minister, and the authority was transferred to Minister Rafi Eitan."
The authority was transferred to Eitan due to a specific instructions from Mazuz.