Ramon. Innocent?
צילום: דודי ועקנין
Minister Ramon to be officially indicted
Attorney General Mazuz says indictment to be filed against justice minister at Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court. Indictment says Ramon sexually harassed young woman by 'placing his lips on her lips and inserting his tongue in her mouth'
Attorney General Menachem Mazuz on Sunday officially decided to indict Justice Minister Haim Ramon who relinquished his parliamentary immunity to stand trial for sexual harassment offenses.
The indictment, which will be filed at the Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court, accuses Ramon of having sexually harassed a young woman by "placing his lips on her lips and inserting his tongue in her mouth
Ramon sent a letter Sunday to Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik and to Knesset House Committee Chairman Ruhama Avraham to inform them he was foregoing his parliamentary immunity ahead of his expected trial.
On Sunday, Ramon was expected to resign his post after Attorney General Menachem Mazuz decided to indict him on charges of an indecent act after kissing a young woman who asked to get her picture taken with him at his office.
"I'm certain of my innocence. The court will prove it," Ramon said after being informed of the decision to indict him. He then asked that his trial start as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has not yet decided on a replacement for Ramon and the PM's office said he has not yet spoken with possible candidates. According to the procedure, Ramon's resignation will go into effect 48 hours after his letter is submitted.
'I didn’t know what to do'
According to the woman involved in the affair, she knew Ramon briefly through her job and came to his office to get a photograph taken with him. After the photo was taken and they were left in the room alone, Ramon attempted to kiss her aggressively and put his tongue in her mouth, the woman charged. She added that she did not resist the minister because she "didn't know what to do."
Later, the woman said, she was crying, and spoke to her direct manager about what happened after her co-workers noticed her tears. The manager was the one who filed the compliment with police.
Close associates of Ramon, however, said the story is baseless and added that during the photo session the woman hugged Ramon and "tried to make a move on him."
The associates say that according to the woman's testimony, she did not leave the office crying, but rather, has a photo taken right after the incident where she's next to Ramon and smiling.
"In addition, according to her testimony, right after the incident she gave him (Ramon) a note where she wrote her phone number," one Ramon associate said.
