Tartman. Reprimanded
צילום: דודי ועקנין
Ethics Committee reprimands Tartman
Committee members unconvinced by Tartman's claim that stating she had MA degree was slip of tongue
The Knesset's Ethics Committee decided Wednesday to severely reprimand MK Esterina Tartman from Israel our Home over the university degree affair.
The committee was not convinced by Tartman's claim that "the false information was given absentmindedly."
Tartman had stated that she held a master's degree, which turned out to be untrue and as a consequence, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQGI) and MK Ran Cohen from Meretz filed complaints with the Ethics Committee.
Cohen said: "MK Tartman disgraced the Knesset and her conduct was unbefitting her position and status."
MQGI released a comment saying, "By misleading the public, officials pull the rug from under their own actions and destroy people's confidence in its representatives and their respect to the Knesset."
Tartman's response to the accusations was that she was the victim of a spiteful campaign of incitement of huge proportions. She added that she had been dealt her share of venomous, hateful insults, and that half truths were published and facts were distorted.
She admitted that she presented the erroneous facts "absentmindedly and in good faith" and for that she has "extended heartfelt apologies at every opportunity, without trying to reduce the severity of the incident."
"If I had only said the word 'studies'," she said, "everything would be different." She acknowledged her responsibility in the state of affairs, but said that character assassination was an unreasonable public response. She had suffered immense damage to her reputation and was paying a heavy price in her public, personal and family lives.
The Ethics Committee determined that Tartman's actions were improper considering her position as a member of Knesset and they soiled the Knesset's standing. "The facts indicate that the false information had been published in writing and orally several times and it is unacceptable that it was done in error."
The committee said that the reprimand was the harshest punishment available, under the circumstances.
MK Cohen applauded the decision: "This is an ethical, unequivocal statement. Tartman was indeed punished by the public, but her lies caused damage to all Knesset members and the public conviction in the institution."
