Mikha Lindenshtraus State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel Country: Israel

Biography of Micha Lindenstrauss

Micha Lindenstrauss was born in Berlin in 1937 and immigrated to Palestine, which would later become the territory of Israel, with his family in 1939. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a Master's degree in Law in 1965.

From 1965 to 1970, Lindenstrauss served as a prosecutor in the military district and legal advisor to the Israel Defense Forces in Samaria on the West Bank of the Jordan River. In 1970, he was appointed as an advisor to Minister of Absorption Shimon Peres on issues related to the occupied territories and the rehabilitation of Arab refugees. He then became the chairman of the military court from 1970 to 1972. In 1972, he was appointed as a judge in the magistrate's court of Haifa, and in 1982, he became a judge in the district court.

In 1995, Lindenstrauss became the vice chairman, and in 1999, the chairman of the Haifa district court. From 2000 to 2005, he served as the chairman of the Advisory Committee on the Granting of Subsidies to Non-Profit Organizations under the Speaker of the Knesset. He was also actively involved in various public activities, including being the chairman of the "Movement for a Better Israel" and the Society of Israeli-American Friendship, as well as a member of the board of directors of the "Justice for Peace" fund.

In May 2005, Lindenstrauss was approved by the Knesset to serve as the State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel. As the State Comptroller, he was responsible for examining the legality and ethical conduct of all aspects of the activities of government institutions, structures, and officials appointed by the state. He had the authority to recommend the initiation of investigations into significant legal violations to the prosecutor's office. He was also responsible for handling public complaints concerning the actions of government institutions and officials.

Lindenstrauss focused on cases of negligence, abuse, and financial irregularities by Israeli authorities. After the 2006 Lebanon-Israel conflict, he began investigating the circumstances of the war. He also responded to journalistic investigations that cast doubt on the reputation of then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. In February 2006, he investigated Olmert's sale of his house in Old Katamon to American billionaire Daniel Abrams. Lindenstrauss published a report in March 2006, identifying serious financial violations related to the sale.

In August 2006, Lindenstrauss examined documents that implicated Olmert in real estate manipulations. It was revealed that Olmert received a significant discount when purchasing a new house on Keren Hayesod Street. He also obtained exceptional permission from the Municipality of Jerusalem to partially demolish, renovate, and expand both his own house and neighboring buildings located in the historic part of the city. Lindenstrauss submitted a report to the government's legal advisor, recommending the initiation of criminal proceedings against Olmert.

Throughout his career, Lindenstrauss has authored several specialized and fictional books. He also lectures at the Faculty of Law at the University of Haifa.