Kiryat Malachi Mayor convicted of sexual harassment
By YONAH JEREMY BOB
The Beersheba Magistrate's Court on Thursday convicted Kiryat Malachi Mayor Moti Malcha of sexual harassment against two different women, violating conflict of interest rules in involvement in construction and breach of public trust as part of a plea bargain deal.Malachi was given a suspended sentence, community service and ordered to pay NIS 60,000 to the women who he harassed.An unusually defensive statement by the prosecution said that it only agreed to the plea bargain deal, which some might view as lenient in light of the original indictment, after Malcha agreed to resign as mayor and that he would not compete in the next round of elections.The prosecution also explained that head prosecutor Moshe Lador, even before the plea bargain, had specifically disqualified initial more serious potential charges against Malcha, such as rape, because of a lack of evidence.
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