Last update - 00:00 09/01/2007
Complainant in forced kiss case denies saying attracted to Ramon
By Nir Hasson, Haaretz Correspondent
The female soldier who accused former justice minister Haim Ramon of forcibly kissing her took the stand at his trial Tuesday to rebut the testimony of three Prime Minister's Office employees who testified for the defense 10 days ago.
The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court is due to hand down its verdict on January 31.
The PMO employees - Rivka Paluch, the prime minister's adviser on ultra-Orthodox affairs, and two cafeteria workers - had testified that the complainant, identified only as H., had told them she was attracted to Ramon.
H.'s rebuttal testimony was heard behind closed doors, but the nature of her statement became clear when prosecutor Ariela Segal-Antler said in her closing arguments that H. vehemently contends that the conversation never took place. Segal-Antler argued that the court should ignore the testimony of the PMO employees.
"The weight of these witnesses is at best zero," she said.
The testimony of the PMO employees was suppressed for seven months, and should, therefore, said Segal-Antler, be viewed with skepticism.
During the closing arguments, the judges said they were surprised that one of the cafeteria workers who testified in the case had visited the office of Ramon's attorney, Dan Sheinman, before the trial but did not mention the visit.
Sheinman rejected the implication that the three women's testimony was false, saying the reason for the delay was that they had been afraid to get involved in the case.
"What's the argument? That we organized these three witnesses?" he asked. "I am insulted by that argument. Why is it possible to understand complainants who don't want to complain but it's impossible to understand witnesses who are afraid to get involved?