The Supreme Court today (Monday) upheld the prosecution’s position and upheld by a majority opinion the district court’s ruling, in which a retired superintendent was convicted of attempting to commit fraud of fraud and breach of trust and sex offenses, and also upheld the prison sentence imposed on him. It will be recalled that Shaham was sentenced to 10 months in prison.
In doing so, the Supreme Court conveyed a message of condemnation of the conduct of retired superintendent Nissam Shaham over the years. The ruling emphasized that the senior police officer had used his power and status to form illicit intimate relationships with low-ranking facts, in junior positions, and even further and handled their affairs in situations of conflict of interest.
It was also stated that Shaham corrupted his workplace in his conduct, violated his commitment to law enforcement and the integrity of the public interest over which he himself was entrusted, severely damaged the human dignity of the policewomen and their equal opportunities in the workplace. “We hope that the Supreme Court ruling will be a warning sign and a significant milestone in the fight to create a safe, equal and protected work environment for police officers in particular and women in general,” it said.
“The applicant’s personal interest in the policewomen, especially in light of the existence of a veil of secrecy over the prohibited ties, was of strong intensity,” Judge Handel ruled in the judgment. “In addition, the applicant’s conduct included various serious aspects, such as the length of the conflict of interest in some cases, the activity of the actions, and the importance of the requests he dealt with to the police officers subordinate to him.
“The applicant’s status in the police was very senior, and his power of influence was great accordingly. In light of all this, even if we say that any action in conflict of interest committed by the applicant does not necessarily involve ‘another aggravating aspect’, this aggravating aspect certainly exists when looking at the whole pattern of behavior. .
Advocate Naomi Granot and Advocate Nili Finkelstein of the State Attorney’s Office welcomed the decision and said that “the court ruled that Nisso Shaham’s behavior, when examined as a whole, falls far beyond the ‘gray’ area dominated by disciplinary law and the offense of breach of trust.
“A senior commander who exploits his position for sexual intercourse in the workplace causes serious harm to the human dignity of policewomen and their equal opportunities in the workplace – and is sentenced to prison behind bars. This is in addition to the sexual offenses for which they were convicted, which are no less serious. Whoever exploits his power and authority and causes harm to the facts and the workers subordinate to him. “
The case was handled in the Supreme Court by attorneys Naomi Granot and Nili Finkelstein from the State Attorney’s Office, and in the Magistrate’s Court by attorneys Ronen Yitzhak, Liat Yunnyan and Ruth Yitzhak-Sharoni from the State Attorney’s Office’s Police Investigations Department.
According to the director general of the Association of Centers for Assistance to Victims and Victims of Sexual Assault, Orit Soliciano, “the important decision of the Supreme Court that rejected the appeal of the sex offender Nisso Shaham should be welcomed.”
Soliciano added that “Supreme Court justices have clearly stated that his repeated behavior, and his systematic exploitation, are not in the gray area, but constitute a gross breach of trust in his position and in the public.
“Shaham, a public figure who was a senior commander, tried to behave in a disgraceful, exploitative and repulsive manner, and it is appropriate that he sit in prison every day and the Japanese do what is wrong with his actions, something he has not done so far.”
Noam Devol-Dvir participated in the preparation of the article