Mazuz pledges external inquiry into police wiretapping case

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has committed himself to an external inquiry into failures regarding wiretapping by the police and the state prosecution.

The decision comes in the wake of electronic eavesdropping by the police of the wireless phone of the Prime Minister's Bureau Chief, Shula Zaken.

The wiretapping was in connection to the sexual harassment charges against former justice minister Haim Ramon.

Mazuz has yet to determine who will head the inquiry.

In deciding to hold an external inquiry into the electronic interception, the attorney general is thereby revoking a previous decision to reconvene an interministerial committee headed by Deputy Attorney General Livnat Mashiah. That committee formulated new regulations for police wiretapping approximately two years ago.

Mazuz's chief aide, Ran Nizri, wrote Monday to a member of Ramon's defense team, attorney Navot Tel-Tzur, telling him, "We intend to conduct an inquiry in order to examine the events in the affair. Following the end of proceedings in the case, there will be an independent inquiry, from which the necessary conclusions will be drawn."

The Justice Ministry also intends to cooperate with an inquiry into wiretapping that will be conducted by the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

	Attorney General Menachem Mazuz. (Tommer Appelbaum /BauBau)