Ex-IDF general negotiating plea deal in sexual assault case
Reversing previous denials of all charges, Ofek Buchris willing to admit to lesser offenses if rape accusation dropped
A former Israel Defense Forces general accused of rape and sexual assault is negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors that will see the rape charges currently leveled against him dropped.
In return for admitting to certain sexual offenses, Ofek Buchris will not be charged with the far more serious crimes for which he currently stands accused, Channel 2 reported Tuesday.
Even if the agreement is provisionally reached, however, several obstacles stand in the way of it being signed.
First, the prosecution will consult with Buchris’s accusers in the coming days to hear their opinions on the agreement. If they come out against the deal, the case will return to the jurisdiction of the Chief Military Prosecution.
Second, Buchris is not expected to agree to a deal that involves jail time, the report said. It is unclear what punishment Buchris will receive if he admits to sexual offenses, or whether he will be demoted.
An admission of having committed sexual offenses would constitute a serious reversal for Buchris, who has vehemently denied all of the charges against him.
Buchris’ trial began at the end of September. He faced 16 charges, including three of rape and six of indecent acts against a lower-ranking female soldier, identified as A. He was accused of a further six counts of indecent acts against a second female soldier, known as L. Buchris was indicted in July for the alleged crimes that were said to have taken place between 2010 and 2012.
Buchris had earlier agreed to face his accusers within the framework of “non-binding arbitration” before a former military advocate general, Ilan Schiff.
The idea was to save the plaintiffs from a long legal process, Channel 10 said at the time, a consideration that would be consistent with Buchris’s desire to reach a plea deal.
Buchris officially resigned from the IDF in July in order to manage his legal defense as a civilian.
Reports of the initial allegations in March sent shock waves through the IDF and the rest of the country, as Buchris’s previously glowing reputation was suddenly called into question.
According to reports at the time, the first soldier to make allegations told investigators that she knew of another soldier, an officer in the Golani Brigade, who was also sexually assaulted by Buchris. Several days later, the second woman came forward to accuse him.
