Deputy Mayor Investigated for Allegedly Threatening Sex Assault Accuser

The deputy mayor of Rishon LeZion, who is suspected of sexual offenses against a municipal employee, was questioned last week on suspicion of threatening the complainant during a confrontation. A gag order is in place on the suspect's name. Police conducted further investigations on Wednesday, with a source involved in the probe stating that the officer conducting the confrontation "believed" there was a threat when the deputy mayor mentioned revealing WhatsApp messages sent by the complainant. The source added that the deputy mayor's remarks "sounded like he was threatening the complainant," leading to the additional investigation for threats.

The deputy mayor denies threatening the complainant and maintains that all interactions were consensual, citing her messages as evidence. The case file is now with the prosecution, who will decide on the matter, which currently rests on a "word against word" situation. The complainant alleges she could not resist the deputy mayor, described as a powerful figure in city hall, while he claims the alleged offenses, which reportedly occurred several years ago in his office, were consensual.

The complainant, who is not his direct employee but a secretary to another senior official, has not returned to work since the allegations surfaced about six weeks ago. The deputy mayor has returned to his municipal duties after a 30-day suspension.

His attorney, Ofer Almog, stated that his client "categorically denies" threatening the complainant, asserting that his remarks during the police investigation were made out of genuine distress against what he claims are false allegations proven false at the time.