Last update - 00:00 30/01/2007
Verdict due Wed. in ex-minister Ramon sexual misconduct trial
By Nir Hasson, Haaretz Correspondent
Three judges of the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court will deliver their verdict on Wednesday in the sexual misconduct case of former justice minister Haim Ramon.
Ramon was indicted for indecency against a female army officer serving in the Prime Minister's Bureau last July. The judges will have to decide who is telling the truth - the plaintiff and the state prosecution, or Ramon and his attorneys.
The officer says that Ramon kissed her immediately after the two had their picture taken together, and that the kiss was not preceded by significant flirtation.
Ramon and his attorneys, Dan Sheinman and Navit Negev, see the kiss as the culmination of the officer's flirtation with Ramon, from which the minister concluded that the kiss was voluntary.
Ramon's state of mind at that moment is crucial to proving that his kiss did not involve criminal intent.
The judges will also have to rule on the defense attorneys' argument that the police and prosecution took measures tantamount to obstructing justice, such as secret wiretaps and pressuring witnesses to incriminate Ramon.