Prosecutor admits wiretapping used in Ramon investigation

Tel Aviv District Prosecutor Ruth David admitted Thursday that wiretapping was used in the investigation into former justice minister Haim Ramon.

The attorney's admission contradicts a number of previous denials issued by the prosecution.

Four days ago, attorneys representing Ramon in his sexual harassment trial received transcripts of the wiretapping tapes, which, they say, are instrumental in proving Ramon's innocence.

During the investigation, the police tapped the phones of three people: the complainant, her commanding officer, and Shula Zaken, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's chief of bureau. The wiretaps were to explore suspicions of obstruction of justice and efforts to convince the complainant not to file charges. However, after no evidence was uncovered during the initial 24 hours, the prosecution decided to stop using the wiretaps.

On October 22, Ramon's attorney Dan Sheinman asked the prosecution for explanations regarding wiretapping conducted during the investigation that had yet to be revealed to the defense. Defense lawyers suspected wiretaps had been employed due to suggestions that appeared in investigative documents.

The prosecution wrote Sheinman a number of letters over the past two weeks denying wiretap use. However, on Tuesday, the prosecution acceded, and gave the material to Ramon's defense team. The former ministers' lawyers, however, said they have not received copies of the court orders allowing the wiretaps, and raised suspicions that they were illegal.

For the past few days, Ramon's attorneys have been considering how to treat the new material. They said that failure to have the material when the complainant testified and was cross-examined infringed on Ramon's rights and ability to defend himself.

The Justice Ministry explained last night that the wiretaps were not part of the Ramon investigation but were part of another probe relating to suspicions of undue pressure and obstruction of justice in the Ramon investigation. Therefore, they said, the response to Ramon's attorneys was not untrue.

"In order to avoid unnecessary arguments during the upcoming evidentiary phase, since we don't feel the recordings carry weight in the case against Haim Ramon, the prosecution decided to transfer the transcripts to defense attorneys," the Justice Ministry stated.

Ramon asked a Tel Aviv court Thursday to allow publication of the complainant's testimony.

Sheinman filed a brief supporting petitions from a number of media outlets seeking to report on the testimony, which was delivered in a closed-door session. Arguing that the complainant's privacy can be safeguarded by publishing the testimony without her Sheinman cited the public interest in publishing the testimony, which, he said, was substantially different from various media reports of the alleged incident.

Sheinman also attacked Attorney General Menachem Mazuz and the State Prosecutor's Office, which, he said, gave details of the incident to the press, but refused to allow publication of the complainant's testimony.

The prosecution opposes the media petitions, saying publication of the testimony could deter sexual harassment victims from coming forward. It said "such publication would only satisfy voyeuristic drives, which certainly do not trump the complainant's interest or that of potential complainants to maintain their privacy."