Last update - 00:00 29/11/2007
MK Orlev: Police have 'rolled out the red carpet' for Olmert
By Haaretz Service
The police decision to close the investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's suspected corruption in the sale of Bank Leumi announced Thursday prompted a range of reactions from members of the Knesset. Coalition members supported the decision while the opposition criticized it, calling for the state prosecution to take independent action.
Knesset State Control Committee Chairman Zevulun Orlev said the police had "strayed from their role" by deciding to "roll out the red carpet" for Olmert upon his return from the Annapolis peace summit. "It is not the role or task of the police to make recommendations based on an investigation," he said. "The fervor demonstrated by the police is nothing less than astonishing," he added.
Orlev had asked Public Security Minister Avi Dichter on Thursday to prevent police from issuing their recommendation, saying that then public security minister Uzi Landau decided five years ago that police would only hand over investigation material, and withhold recommendations.
"Israel Police should occupy themselves with speeding up the investigations into Prime Minister Olmert, instead of legally insignificant media displays," said Orlev. "The state prosecutor is the one in charge of filing indictments."
MK Zehava Gal-On of Meretz said she was not surprised at all by the decision. "It was obvious the police would never take it upon themselves to make criminal allegations about the prime minister, and would pass the buck to the State Control Committee." Gal-On called on State Prosecutor designate Moshe Lador to make an unprejudiced decision of his own.
MK Arieh Eldad (National Union) was also not surprised. He said that several months ago Dichter made his views on the investigation clear by stating that no prime minister should be put on trial. "I find it hard to believe that a single policeman did not get the hint," said Eldad.
Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik contradicted the MKs' reactions, voicing support for the decision not to investigate Olmert and saying "We are a nation that tends to destroy its leaders, leaving them embittered."
Agriculture Minister Shalom Simchon said the coalition was stable and would remain so in the future. "We have a good prime minister who fulfils his duty loyally. We must allow him to continue to lead the nation and stop looking for reasons to make him leave the government," said Simchon.
Senior treasury officials said they were awaiting the apology of outgoing Accountant General Yaron Zelekha, who they said "slung mud" at his colleagues over the Bank Leumi affair. They expressed hope that State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss would investigate Zelekha's management of the affair and other issues.