Senior VC executive charged with sexual offenses against two women
Senior VC executive charged with sexual offenses against two women
The name of the investor will be published next week after his appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected. The indictment states that the investor had sexual relations with two women against their will
A senior investor in the Israeli venture capital industry is facing accusations of sexual harassment and sexual offenses. The affair came to light following an appeal filed by the senior executive to the Supreme Court after a prior decision in the Central Region District Court in Lod to disclose his name. The Supreme Court denied the investor's request to impose a publication ban on his name, affirming that it will be released on February 7.
As per the executive's appeal, he is employed by a fund that directly employs 250 people and annually invests between NIS 1-2 billion ($275-550 million). Additionally, the individual serves as a director for about 10 companies, mostly Israeli, with a combined value of approximately seven billion shekels.
According to the appeal, on December 21, 2020, the man was arrested on suspicion of committing serious sexual offenses against two female complainants. The suspicion revolves around an incident six days earlier when he allegedly engaged in non-consensual sex with the first complainant. Subsequently, another complaint was filed by a second complainant, citing a similar incident allegedly committed by the man in 2017, following a Facebook post published by the first complainant.
According to the senior executive, a hearing was held in December 2020 in the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court regarding the request to extend his arrest. The request was rejected, with the court determining that the "reasonable suspicion is preliminary and weak." Consequently, the senior executive was released to an alternative to arrest under restrictive conditions. Additionally, the court ordered a publication ban on his name and any identifying details, emphasizing that it was only a “preliminary suspicion and the suspect had no criminal record.” However, the court clarified that “if more complaints or additional suspicions emerged, it would be possible to request his arrest again and also possible to request lifting the publication ban.”
In October 2023, following a hearing for the senior executive, a decision was made to prosecute him. Subsequently, an indictment for sexual offenses was filed against him on October 10 at the Central Region District Court in Lod. On October 27, the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court directed that the publication ban remain in effect until the District Court's decision on the matter. However, the district court rejected the publication ban request. After an appeal was filed against this decision to the Supreme Court, the latter approved the publication of his name on February 7.
