'It was not ethical,' says police deputy chief accused of sexual harassment
Deputy Police Commissioner admits to improper conduct during internal affairs investigation; suspect: I understand that whoever acts that way does not deserve my position'.
Mor has been undergoing his second investigation at the offices of the Police Investigations Department in Jerusalem. The probe was authorized by senior sources in the Justice ministry, and has been closely monitored by the attorney general.
During the questioning, the senior officer was asked why he believed the female subordinate "wanted him," replying: "Because of my position."
At the end of the interrogation, the deputy commissioner admitted to his improper conduct. "I understand that whoever acts that way does not deserve to have my position. It was not ethical, I did not behave properly."
The relationship between the deputy commissioner and the accuser formed after she approached him with a request for help with a distressing situation. The deputy commissioner allegedly visited the policewoman's home and kissed her on the lips.
The accused was called in for questioning after an undercover investigation was completed, and was apparently already aware of the charges against him; according to investigators, he reformatted his cell phone before arriving at the Police lnternal Investigation Department offices. The department has therefore also accused the suspect of obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence.
When asked why he wiped his phone's data on the way to questioning, the deputy commissioner replied vaguely, saying: "No, I did that because of something else." Investigators pressed forward and asked how an officer of his rank could commit such an act on the way to being questioned, he responded: "No, no, I thought... I didn't understand." It was this deed, according to the Ministry of Justice, that finally led to his house arrest.
Michal Margalit contributed to this report.
