Tel-Chai Nation

The indecent act was forcibly kissing a female soldier working on special assignment at the Justice Ministry. From the Jerusalem Post:

Six months of testimony, allegations and counter-allegations concluded Wednesday when three judges in the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court convicted former justice minister Haim Ramon of committing an indecent act against H', a 21-year-old soldier who had worked for him in the Prime Minister's Tel Aviv office.

The verdict itself was unequivocal and harshly worded against the defendant.

The judges found that the version of events described by plaintiff was "authentic, coherent, credible, and reliable," and that Ramon had lied and distorted the facts in order to defend himself.

"We found that the defendant had not restrained himself to the truth, and had tried to make light of his act," the judges wrote.

The judges in the case also said that Ramon had tried to distort the truth.

"[The plaintiff] is authentic and believable," the judges wrote. "She had no interest in harming the defendant, and had initially refused to name him. She originally declined to testify so as not to become his 'number one enemy.'"

The judges said that the plaintiff had stood her ground in the face of relentless attacks.

In response to Ramon's claim that in pictures, the plaintiff appeared happy and smiling, the court decreed that "it [was] difficult to decide what is 'rational' or 'irrational' behavior after a trauma. Everyone responds differently."

As far as the alleged "flirtatious" conversations, the judges said that the content of the conversations were in no way flirtatious or intimate. "At the most, it was light, pointless, conversation, that drifted away from that between a soldier and a minister." The judges added that Ramon had been a "full partner" in the conversation's tone and content.

"We fully accept the plaintiff's version of events - that the conversation had no hint of romantic interest in the defendant," the ruling stated.

Ramon, who seemed tense before the hearing began, sat with his chin resting on his fist through out the reading of the entire verdict by the head of the panel, Judge Kohan.

From time to time, he shrugged his shoulders and looked in dismay at his lawyer Dan Scheinemann.

Well boo hoo, cry me a nice cold bath. What Ramon did was simply unacceptable, and he should be ashamed of himself. In contrast to the case of president Moshe Katsav, the charges against Ramon appear to be true, and whether or not the soldier agreed, he still took advantage of a worker at a government office. When Bill Clinton pulled such an act with Monica Lewinsky, that was worse, but it's still no excuse for Ramon to do such a thing.

The conviction is also a blow to Olmert, who was hoping that if Ramon was acquitted, that it could give him a boost.

More on this from IsraelInsider, Israel National News, YnetNews, and IRIS Blog.

Labels: Israel, political corruption