Attorney General Menachem Mazu on Monday announced his intention to try Abraham Hirchson over charges of fraud and theft, but said he would grant the former finance minister a hearing to dissuade him from his decision before charges are pressed.

Should Hirchson's defense team fail to convince the attorney general not to indict the Kadima politician, the indictment will proceed as planned, Mazuz said.

Earlier this month, the Israel Police recommended indicting Hirchson after an investigation revealed evidence suggesting the former minister had embezzled millions of shekels from the National Workers' Organization, a workers' union he headed between 1998 - 2005, and from Nili, a non-profit organization associated with the Histadrut national labor federation.