Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein on Thursday instructed the Police Major Crimes Unit to exhaust the preliminary investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom, prior to making a final decision on whether to pursue a full criminal investigation in the case or close it altogether. The police are currently investigating allegations made by a former Science Ministry employee who claimed Shalom had sexually harassed her 15 years ago, while serving as the science minister, as well as information alleging that another woman was harassed by the minister. Earlier this week, police sources said that so far, investigators had faced a "he said/she said" case, adding that given that the statute of limitations applies to the 15-year-old allegations, it was highly likely the case would be closed. Police sources stressed Thursday that no new complaints have been filed against Shalom at this time. The complainant was subjected to two police polygraph tests, with the first concluding that she had been truthful about her encounter with Shalom, and the second concluding that her account was false. On Thursday, she filed a complaint against the second polygraph test's administrator, saying the questions and the manner in which they had been asked had been meant to skew the results.
