The retrial of Roman Zadorov, who has already been convicted of murdering the girl Tair Rada, continues to provide dramas. Yesterday the chairman of the panel of judges, who voiced an unusual request by the prosecution, rejected to stop the trial until he clarified unusual things he said earlier this week.
Judge Cola ruled yesterday: “For the avoidance of doubt, and as long as there is no legal impediment, the trial will continue as normal.”
In the background of the tension between the prosecution and Kola are several events that took place in the courtroom, led by remarks made by Judge Kola earlier this week: “I had a black Pesach. “It’s just because of the mother of the deceased. I say these things with a very heavy heart. My friends know that I have a very hard heart in this case. There are other things that I do not want to reveal all of them now. At the end of the speech, Judge Cola presented the prosecution team with two options – to file a motion to disqualify him, or alternatively to announce his trust in him.
The remarks of Judge Kola, the vice president of the Nazareth District Court, came after a series of publications in the media that hinted at distrust on the part of the prosecution regarding the judge’s conduct, claiming that his opinion was biased in favor of Zadorov. Judge Cola sees these announcements as a campaign against him on behalf of the State Attorney’s Office.
Defense attorneys reinforced his remarks, saying at the hearing: “This is what the prosecution is doing, and therefore in his honor must not surrender. This is what they are doing. If his honor retires… they are champions. Champions in Pike News, champions in releasing their attack dogs.”
In the application filed by the prosecution, they mentioned that Judge Cola had himself clarified that the allegation of illegal acts committed against him was not directed against them; They also rejected the allegations and clarified that they did not intend to file a “declaration of trust”, a procedure which they claimed “is unrecognized, has no basis in law or any other source of authority”. Finally, the State Attorney’s Office wrote that in the current state of affairs it is not possible to continue the trial, and that they have received permission from the State Attorney, Adv. Amit Isman, to request that the hearings be stopped.
“The statement of honor of the head of the tribunal, which ostensibly implies illegal acts against him by unknown elements, cannot be left in the fog,” the prosecution argued. “In light of this, the accuser asks the Honorable Father to interpret and detail his words, since statements such as DA can not remain unknown.
MK Moshe Arbel of Shas yesterday addressed the State Attorney and the Attorney General, demanding an investigation into the pressures exerted on Judge Cola. “These are extremely worrying statements that should raise a black flag for anyone whose heart is dear to the justice system,” Arbel wrote. “It is not possible to agree to a situation in which unknown sources impose their morale on a judge in Israel.