AG reopens probe into senior lawyer sex crime claim

The Attorney General has re-opened a probe into suspected sexual abuse by a senior lawyer in the State Prosecutors’ Office after the receipt of new information at the beginning of the week, Channel 2 News reported Thursday.

A secret police investigation into allegations that Jerusalem district deputy prosecutor for criminal cases Uri Korb had abused a female lawyer who was under his charge had previously been shelved after the female lawyer refused to cooperate.

But Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has now decided to reopen and personally supervise the investigation after receiving the new details and conferring with heads of the prosecution service and their aides and top brass from the police investigations unit, Channel 2 said.

Uri Korb is said to be in charge of some of the most important and sensitive cases at the State Attorney’s office.

He was deeply involved in the prosecution of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is currently serving a jail sentence for corruption.

Last week, media sources reported that the suspected abuse of the female lawyer began three years ago and that the alleged victim stopped coming to work for a considerable period.

When she eventually returned to the office, she was summoned by Jerusalem District Prosecutor Nurit Litman.

According to sources from the Justice Ministry quoted by Channel 2 News, she explained her long absence by saying she had been overwhelmed by an unusually heavy work load and by private issues.

The same sources said that at the end of the meeting, it was decided, at the female lawyer’s request, to have her transferred to a different prosecution branch.

The former State Prosecutor Moshe Lador and Shai Nitzan, the present prosecutor, were replacing one another at the time and were not told of the lawyer’s transfer.

When information surfaced that the same female lawyer had been a victim of sexual abuse, Nurit Litman testified to investigators that she did not know and could not have known about the claims, Channel 2 said.

Investigators are reportedly still trying to convince the alleged victim to lodge a complaint with the police.

On Tuesday, State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan sent a message to all employees, urging them to complain if they had fallen victim to sexual abuse.

Without mentioning names or commenting on the specific case of Korb, he wrote, “I thought it right to turn to you, in the wake of the publicity of the last few days…. ”

“I see great importance in creating a safe and respectful working environment for all of our employees. My position is to show zero tolerance for sexual harassment and any other form of sexual abuse.”

“As employees of the State Prosecutor’s Office, we believe in law enforcement , we are leaders in defending human dignity and combating the criminal phenomenon of sexual abuse, including in the place of work.”

“Therefore I see moral importance of the highest order in encouraging workers who have been abused to complain.”

Shai said he did not take lightly the hardship that went with complaining officially about sexual abuse, adding that all decisions were understandable.

“It’s important to me to appeal to you and to ask with all sincerity, of all workers who were abused, or who were informed of such abuse, to turn to the authorities whose role it is to receive such complaints,” Nitzan said.

Heads of the prosecution service will meet with police investigators next week to further discuss the Korb case, Channel 2 said.