Last update - 00:00 14/11/2007
Lador will not recuse himself in Bank Leumi affair
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
State Prosecutor-designate Moshe Lador has no intention of recusing himself from the decision over whether to indict Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the Bank Leumi affair, even though Abramson was counsel to one of the groups bidding for the bank. The privatization of Leumi was on the list of potential conflicts of interest that Lador submitted to the
search committee, but according to him, "I had no involvement or contact, directly or indirectly, and had absolutely no dealings with the issue. I found it appropriate to bring it to the committee's attention only
because questions could arise. Beyond that, the candidate has no connection to any of the suspicions linked to the subjects of the investigation."
Lador was announced late Monday night as the near-unamimous choice to replace State Prosecutor Eran Shendar. Lador, 63, joined the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office in 1978. He headed the Economic Unit of the Prosecutor's Office from 1990-94 and was district attorney of Jerusalem from 1994-2003, when he returned to private practice. Lador is a partner in Ephraim Abramson & Co.
The cabinet is expected to approve his appointment within a few weeks.
The Justice Ministry announced that Lador will not recuse himself from making decisions regarding Olmert. "Lador informed the search committee in writing, on his own initiative, that his law firm was counsel to one of the contenters in the Bank Leumi contract. Attorney Lador himself had no connection to the matter, and as such there is no conflict of interest."
Lador's decision was based on the fact that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz recused himself from dealing with the case because his sister, Yemima Mazuz, is legal adviser to the Finance Minister, and because no decision will be made on the case until after outgoing State Prosecutor Eran Shendar ends his term.
Related articles: