Judge Asher Kola was elected yesterday to the position of Ombudsman for Judges. Kola served as a retired vice president of the Nazareth District Court.
The Judiciary welcomed the move, but stated: "We believed that it was right for the position of Ombudsman for Judges to be appointed, as was customary in previous years, to a retired Supreme Court judge or, alternatively, the president of a district court, due to the breadth of vision of those who have served in these positions in the system, without detracting from the appreciation for Judge Kola.".
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who supported the candidacy of the elected judge, responded: "I congratulate Judge Asher Kola on his selection for the position of Ombudsman for Judges. The institution of the Ombudsman for Judges plays a central role in strengthening public confidence in the judicial system, through external, effective and independent oversight. I am confident that Judge Kola will carry out his mission with responsibility, discretion and dedication. I wish him great success in his role.".
Retired Vice President Kola was selected by the search committee to select the Ombudsman for Judges, after a long period in which a replacement was not appointed for retired Judge Uri Shoham, who ended his term as Ombudsman for Judges a year ago - on May 9, 2024, after a period of five and a half years in office.
The other candidates interviewed by the committee were retired Be'er Sheva District Court Judge Revital Yaffe Katz, retired Be'er Sheva District Court President Sefi Alon, Attorney Yoel Hadar, retired Jerusalem District Court Judge Moshe Yoad HaCohen, and retired Haifa District Court President Ron Shapira.
Kola, who acquitted Roman Zdarov of the murder of Tair Rada in his retrial, and has previously spoken out against the seniority system, was the leading candidate for the position. His candidacy was submitted by Minister Idit Silman and retired judge Yitzhak Zer.
Kola recently spoke out regarding the opening of the impeachment process for Legal Advisor to the Prime Minister Gali Baharav-Miara, saying in an interview with Reshet B: "The dismissal of the Legal Advisor to the Prime Minister, no, it is not the end of democracy. The Minister of Justice started an orderly process. She was summoned and didn't even bother to appear before the committee, she responded with a laconic letter that doesn't answer the question. What did she claim? You are acting illegally, that's not true - this is how the process begins.".
About two months ago, despite opposition from the Ombudsman and the courts, the Knesset approved the bill that changed the process for selecting the Ombudsman for judges.
The Legal Advisor to the Government expressed opposition to changing the procedure, claiming that it would harm the independence of the judiciary and weaken it.
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