Judge who conferred with prosecutor in texting scandal is dismissed
Disciplinary tribunal rules unanimously to remove Ronit Poznansky-Katz from office over improper conduct in Bezeq corruption probe
A judge who held ethically “inappropriate” communications with a state prosecutor in the Bezeq corruption probe, which involves Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was dismissed on Wednesday following a hearing by a special disciplinary panel.
Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court Judge Ronit Poznansky-Katz has been suspended since April after it emerged that she had coordinated remand rulings for suspects with Israel Securities Authority attorney Eran Shacham-Shavit in a series of personal text messages.
The disciplinary committee, headed by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis, along with Supreme Court Justice Neal Hendel and the head of the Nazareth District Court, voted unanimously to dismiss the judge.
The dismissal was “based on the fact that the judge admitted that she and the representative of the prosecution in the case she was judging had various conversations about the procedure, conversations that were inappropriate to be had between a representative of the prosecution and a judge presiding over the trial,” the judges ruled.
After Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked filed a complaint with the Supreme Court in March against the judge, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut set up the special disciplinary tribunal to hear the complaint.
In announcing the committee of inquiry, Hayut had said that a preliminary investigation revealed “a series of personal and systemic failures.”
Judge Eliezer Rivlin, the ombudsman handling complaints against judges, ruled in March there would be no criminal proceedings against Poznansky-Katz, but had recommended that she face a disciplinary hearing over the “highly inappropriate” exchange.
He found that the relationship between the two continued for several months and soon produced inappropriate interactions. “During the months of June, July, December 2017, January and February 2018, Shacham-Shavit addressed the judge directly several times regarding the cases he was dealing with,” Rivlin wrote.
Obtained by Channel 10 in February, the text messages between Poznansky-Katz and Shacham-Shavit sparked accusations that state officials were obstructing justice and that the suspects would not receive a fair trial.
In the exchange, Shacham-Shavit told Poznansky-Katz that the Securities Authority intended to ask that some of the suspects in the probe be released, while others remain in custody.
“Try and act surprised,” he wrote.
“I’m practicing my surprised face,” she responded.
A full transcript of the messages released several days later appeared to be less damning than the initial report, showing that Poznansky-Katz and Shacham-Shavit were mainly discussing case logistics.
The Bezeq corruption investigation, dubbed Case 4000, involves suspicions that Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch ordered the Walla news site, which he also owns, to grant fawning coverage to Netanyahu family exchange for the prime minister, who was also communications minister at the time, advancing regulations benefiting him.
Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, have been questioned several times in the case.
Netanyahu denies wrongdoing in the case.
Raoul Wootliff and Michael Bachner contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.