Danino and Rittman. (Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Former commissioner Danino was involved with Rittman accuser
New discoveries in the case against police major general Roni Rittman show that the female officer who accused Rittman of harassment had a possibly-intimate connection to the former commissioner. Danino says the relationship was merely friendly and professional.
New details have emerged relating to the case of Roni Rittman, the police major general accused of sexual harassment by a female police officer. It seems now that the accuser has a history with former police commissioner Yohanan Danino, which may have been intimate.
According to a report by Israeli Channel 2 program Uvda broadcast Thursday, the relationship between Danino and the female officer began about eight years ago, when Danino was head of the Police Internal Investigations Department. It went on while Danino was promoted to chief of the Southern District, and even while he was commissioner.
Roni Rittman. (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
The officer told confidants that the ex-commissioner would come to her home after work hours, as well as meet her alone in coffee shops and bars. Their relationship was apparently documented in dozens of phone calls and text messages. Sources inside the police who saw the texts said Danino sent the officer intimately-worded messages which include phrases such as "my princess, my love," and "I love you."
According to Channel 2, the officer also advised Danino about certain appointments, warning him against certain candidates who might have a history of harassment. One of these was Roni Rittman. As revealed in Yedioth Ahronoth, one of the calls Danino made to the officer was to let her know he was appointing Rittman to head Lahav 443, the special investigations unit. When she told him Rittman wasn’t right for the job, Danino answered, "I don't have a choice."
About two weeks ago Danino was called to give his testimony on the Rittman case, after the female officer told investigators she had informed him in the past about Rittman's alleged inappropriate behavior towards her. Danino told investigators that she did update him about events.
Former Commissioner Danino. Bothe he and the female officer deny any inappropriate relationship between them. (Photo: Itay Blumenthal)
But according to Uvda's investigation, Danino didn't disclose his own personal relationship with Rittman's accuser, or the depths thereof. The program claimed that the Police Internal Investigations Department received information about Danino and the female officer a few months ago, but that it did not lead to an investigation – at least not back then.
Danino responded on Thursday by saying, "After many years of exemplary public service, I won't allow the smearing of my good name. The relationship was strictly professional and social, an acquaintance of many years, and any claim or hint that say the relationships were inappropriate is a baseless lie."
The female police officer responded by saying, "There was no inappropriate part of any kind between me and Danino. Our relationship was, and still is, friendly, professional, and strictly platonic."
