Ramon's conviction may be annulled

Former Justice Minister Haim Ramon may yet return to the public arena. The Tel Aviv Magistrates Court on Wednesday agreed to discuss the request filed by Ramon's attorneys to turn his case over to the parole board, who may agree to annul his conviction. Such a move would expunge Ramon's record of any criminal misconduct, allowing him to serve once more in public office.

In its review, the parole board may also recommend the court only sentence Ramon to community service as punishment for his actions.

An additional court hearing has been set for March 15th, after the review is submitted.

"With this specific case, a non-conviction will send a message to the public that his actions were acceptable," said State Prosecutor Ariela Segal-Antler in response to the court's decision. "This cannot be the message we send to the public," she added.

Segal-Antler added that while Ramon may not have been convicted on one of the graver charges of indecent assault, he was harshly reprimanded by the judges in their final ruling.

She also suggested that he had not shown remorse or made reparations, which are usually required to sway public opinion in favor of such an annulment.

Ramon's attorney Dan Sheinman insisted however that, because of his stature, Ramon was being dealt with unfairly. "If the defendant's name wasn't Haim Ramon, the prosecution would never have objected to the request," said Sheinman.

He said that, already during his investigation, Ramon had stated that he understood that the kiss was erroneous and had already censured himself. This is a classic case for annulling a conviction, Sheinman said.

Ramon was unanimously convicted by a three-judge panel in late January. Ramon was accused of having

sexually harassed a female soldier at the Prime Minister's Office in July by "placing his lips on her lips and inserting his tongue in her mouth." Following the indictment, he resigned his post as justice minister.

The court ruled that Ramon's version of events was not credible and added that the former minister attempted to humiliate the complainant. "We are not talking about an innocent kiss on the cheek or on the forehead out of feelings of affection, but a kiss that has all the elements of a sex offense," the judges wrote.