Case against Silvan Shalom likely to be closed

Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom was questioned by the Police National Fraud Unit for nearly two hours Tuesday, following the allegations brought against him by M., a former Science Ministry employee who claimed he had sexually harassed her 15 years ago, while serving as the science minister.

Shalom, who was questioned under caution by head of the National Fraud Unit Brig. Gen. Ephraim Bracha, vehemently denied the allegations saying, "I do not recall a sexual situation such as the one I have been accused of."

A police source said that Shalom was questioned under caution to protect his rights should his deposition be used in any future legal proceeding, and in the event that the initial police probe matures into a full-blown criminal investigation.

According to the source, as no other complainants have come forward, investigators are faced with a "he said-she said" case, and given that the statute of limitations applies to the 15-year-old allegations, it is highly likely that the case will be closed.

"I decided to expose the case because of Silvan's presidential bid," M., a 45-year-old mother who works in the tourism industry, told Israel Hayom Monday. "I don't want anything from him, I have no issue with him, it is just not appropriate for him to become president."

In her complaint, she claimed that "in 1998, when I was working as an executive assistant at the Science Ministry, Silvan Shalom told me he needed to speak with me. Shortly thereafter, he called me on my cellphone and told me to arrive at the Hyatt Hotel in Jerusalem.

"I arrived at the room to find him sitting on the bed naked. I sat next to him and he told me, 'You're going to change my life.' Throughout the entire encounter I kept asking him what he meant by that. After a while, he told me that his driver was waiting for him and that he had to go, and to wait 10 minutes before I leave the room."

M. was subjected to two police polygraph tests, which had inconclusive results. During the first polygraph test, she was found to be truthful when she denied having made false allegations against Shalom. She was also found to be truthful during the second polygraph test, when she denied being romantically involved with Shalom prior to the alleged encounter at the hotel.

However, during the second polygraph test, M. said she had sex with the minister and that she had agreed to it fearing that her refusal might affect her employment -- answers the test indicated were false.

In his summation of the tests, the police polygraph administrator noted that the results indicated that M. and Shalom were not romantically involved prior to the encounter at the Hyatt, and that in his opinion, the two were never sexually involved.

Regardless of the results, under Israeli law polygraph tests are inadmissible in both civil and criminal cases.

During his questioning, Shalom confirmed staying at the Hyatt Hotel in Jerusalem at the time in question, but insisted he did not know who M. was. He repeatedly denied having any sexual encounter with her.

The Police Major Crimes Unit, which is overseeing the case, will defer its findings to the State Attorney's Office once its investigators have concluded their review of the evidence in the case. The recommendations made by the police and State Attorney's Office will be deferred to the Attorney-General's Office for review and a final decision on whether to launch a formal criminal investigation against the incumbent minister.

A Source privy to the process said that the team deciding on the matter will include Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein, Deputy Attorney-General Raz Nizri, State Attorney Shai Nitzan and Deputy State Attorney for criminal cases Eli Abarbanel.

Nitzan and Abarbanel were part of the legal team that assessed the criminal case against former President Moshe Katsav, who is currently serving a seven-year sentence for rape and sexual assault.

A decision in Shalom's case will be made within days, the source hedged.

As Shalom has yet to decide where we would vie for the presidency, the decision in the case is likely to impact the presidential race, as well.

Meanwhile, Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee Chairwoman Miri Regev (Likud-Beytenu) expressed her support for Shalom. "I urge any woman who has been sexually harassed to file a police complaint immediately.

"The fact that this woman waited 15 years to file a complaint against Silvan Shalom raises many questions, and I can't understand why she would wait so long and decide to come forward at this particular time, when he is considering a presidential bid. I don't know what her motives are and I sincerely hope the investigation will clear Silvan's name."

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