Friedmann likely to oppose Nitzan for state prosecutor, ministry official says

Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann may seek to quash any attempt to appoint Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan as the next state prosecutor, according to a senior official at the Justice Ministry who has been following the selection process closely.

A search committee will select its candidate on Monday. By convention, the justice minister is supposed to present the search committee's recommendation for cabinet approval as is.

Nonetheless, the senior official predicted that if Nitzan is one of several candidates recommended, Friedmann will not choose him, while if the committee makes Nitzan its sole candidate, Friedmann will try to torpedo the appointment - because Nitzan is considered a protege of the minister's rival, Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch.

A statement by Friedmann's office said that "the minister will deal with the matter after the committee presents him with the candidate it has chosen."

Nitzan is considered a leading in-house candidate for the job, along with Central District Prosecutor Rachel Shiber.

However, the committee is also seriously considering two outside candidates: criminal defense lawyer Yehuda Weinstein and Moshe Lador, a former Jerusalem district prosecutor who retired from the civil service several years ago.

The other candidates are Avia Alef, director of the economic department at the State Prosecutor's Office, and Avihai Mandelblit, the Israel Defense Forces advocate general.

Nitzan has long been considered Beinisch's protege, serving as her personal assistant when she headed the State Prosecutor's Office. They remain close, even though she has dealt with him harshly during his court appearances on behalf of Attorney General Menachem Mazuz in connection with petitions against the plea bargain signed with former president Moshe Katsav.