Last update - 00:00 03/09/2007
Comptroller unsure if he will act to prevent ouster of Zelekha
By Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondent
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss has not decided whether to issue an injunction preventing the ouster of Accountant-General Yaron Zelekha, with whom he met on Monday morning.
The two met to discuss options to prevent the removal of the latter, who was told last week by Finance Minister Roni Bar-On that his contract would not be extended in October. Lindenstrauss asked Zelekha to provide him with documents that would help him make a decision.
The ouster has sparked criticism and accusations of impure motives, as Zelekha uncovered the Bank Leumi affair involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and is considered a steadfast fighter against government corruption.
The state comptroller is authorized to issue an injunction against Zelekha's removal, though State Control Committee sources expect he will do so only if Zelekha does not petition the High Court of Justice against Bar-On's decision.
Officials at the State Comptroller's Office on Sunday refused to say whether Lindenstrauss would issue the injunction.
The State Control Committee will convene on Tuesday to discuss Bar-On's decision not to extend Zelekha's contract, and is likely to ask Lindenstrauss to defend Zelekha. Committee Chairman Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party) has expressed his support for the accountant-general, and MK Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor) has demanded the Knesset convene for a special summer recess discussion on the matter.
Sources from the Finance Ministry and the Civil Service Commission say that not extending Zelekha's contract after four years is not akin to a dismissal, but rather constitutes a natural completion of his service. Zelekha claims that terms of law enforcement positions, such as the accountant-general post, are not limited by a specific timeframe and can only be terminated if there is a proven and legitimate cause that would stand up in court.
Lindenstrauss said Thursday that anyone who reveals government corruption will be protected by law and that this protection is an important step in curtailing corruption in the public sector.
The accountant-general is the key witness in an ongoing police investigation against Olmert, in which the prime minister is suspected of interfering with the tender for the controlling interest in Bank Leumi in 2005, when he served as finance minister. Zelekha was behind the initial complaint to the comptroller on the matter.
He has also been quoted comparing government corruption to "terror" and saying Israel is the most corrupt country in the West. He also warned, during a Knesset meeting two weeks ago, that corruption is a threat to the very existence of Israel, and that "the economic burden from corruption is almost as severe as the security burden."