Israel's legal community reacted with shock and amazement to the sentence of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and there is bitter criticism of Judge David Rozen behind the scenes. Judge Rozen is not being criticized for the harsh penalties, but for the "unrestrained style" and "overblown self-esteem" shown in the text of the decision. "The judge gave an ostentatious one-man show," a top legal expert told "Globes" today.
Legal experts' ire was aroused by what they considered Judge Rozen's use of "harsh" terms in the sentencing, such as "traitor", "piggishness", and "rotten".
"I am simply shocked by everything, the language, the words," a top defense attorney who was not involved in the case told "Globes". "Today, I saw a sign on Rothschild Boulevard which said, "Israel loves Judge David Rozen." The problem is that in the sentencing, he loved this adulation. Today alone, his name was mentioned 200 times during the two hours the sentencing was covered this morning. In my opinion, he likes this exposure and it affects the style of the sentencing."
The defense attorney added, "The most grating thing was the use of words that are not usual in a bribery trial. What is this word 'traitor' in a bribery trial? Even if the idea is to express harshness and setting a higher penalty threshold, you cannot say that a person who accepts a bribe is a traitor.
"There was no restraint here. This is not the kind of trial in which an axe and sledgehammer should be used on the defendants. Olmert isn't Demanjuk. The word 'traitor' is truly horrifying. Traitors receive the death penalty or life imprisonment. A judge should show restraint. Beyond that, it is possible to talk about avarice, not piggishness, as Rozen wrote in the sentencing. The case was already very hot and a matter of interest, so there was room to use understatement, even if you want to impose such harsh penalties."
Another top attorney said, "Judge Rozen added all kinds of words that added color where none should be added; where the opposite should have been said. He should have calmed the anger. This was already a very colorful case. When the settlements were removed, it was said that 'sensitivity and determination' were needed. Judge Rozen, too, should have given the sentencing with sensitivity and determination, and not used words that did not fit the case, words that are unfitting to the style of the court and unfitting for a judge."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 13, 2014
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