Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar acknowledged Thursday on Galei Yisrael radio that appointing Gali Baharav-Miara as attorney general was a serious error.
"I admit, and not for the first time, that this was a grave mistake," he said. "I must say there was also an element of being misled here, because the agenda Gali Baharav-Miara presented before her selection for the position of legal adviser, which enables legal counsel, is completely opposite to what she is carrying out today. I made this bad appointment, I led it, and I am sorry and pained by it."
Addressing the dramatic testimony of former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in the Netanyahu trial, he said: "The fact that someone who was a partner in the prosecution sits in a discussion about what decision to make, that is the biggest conflict of interest. This is at the center of the offense of breach of trust. The prosecution files indictments against public officials morning and night over this. These are very serious matters."
"If there was ever a consensus that the prosecution never lies to the court, it has been shattered in light of what we are seeing. The heart of the proceedings is essentially a mirror image of the conduct of the investigative and prosecutorial authorities, which is shocking and in itself requires very deep cleansing and very serious overhaul of systems."
He concluded: "Every day that the prosecution insists on continuing to maintain this case is a day in which the public is exposed to injustices and conduct contrary to law and contrary to basic fairness."
