The Justice Ministry's Legal Aid Unit recently filed a complaint with the police against a woman suspected of taking advantage of an intellectually disabled person who was evicted from his home due to the war, and withdrawing his money from his bank account. The court allowed the Ministry of Justice to enter as the disabled person's guardian and prevent further exploitation.
Dozens of demonstrators outside the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities // Shmuel Buchris
Although the complaint, with ample evidence of alleged exploitation, was filed a week ago, the police have not yet summoned the suspected woman for questioning and fears that her actions are continuing. Last week, a branch of Discount Bank in the hometown of the person with disabilities contacted the Legal Aid Department at the Ministry of Justice and warned that it detected unusual transactions in his bank account.
According to the bank, large withdrawals of large sums of money were discovered in less than a month. The Ministry of Justice contacted welfare officials, who reported that the young man had moved from among the evacuated hotels and that it was difficult to locate him, until at a certain point he even cut off contact with him and his phone was unexpectedly blocked.
The Ministry of Justice enters as the guardian of the disabled person, photo: Yoav Ari Dudkevich
After efforts, they managed to locate him, and then it turned out that a woman had contacted him, saying that he had a large debt that she could help him cover. To do this, he granted her permissions in his bank account, and since then the withdrawals of funds began. In a meeting with him, he was surprised that he was not in debt at all, and asked them to help him. At the same time, he also forwarded to state officials the message correspondence with the woman.
Attorney Nofar Suissa of Legal Aid submitted the evidence to the court, which ruled that due to suspicion of extreme exploitation, he appointed her as the temporary guardian of the disabled person. With the court's decision, Suissa rushed to the police to file a complaint, and even blocked her bank account from further withdrawals. Meanwhile, contact between the suspected woman and the disabled person continued, and contact with him was again severed. A week after the complaint was filed, the police still did not summon the woman for questioning or take testimony from the disabled person, nor was the evidence collected from the Ministry of Justice.
The Israel Police said in response: "Upon receipt of the complaint to the police, an investigation was opened, which is still ongoing, and naturally we will not elaborate on it, but we note that we will continue to investigate in order to reach the truth."
"We will continue to investigate." Police response (illustration), photo: Israel Police
"The extensive evacuation of civilians from the north and south to hotels and evacuation complexes throughout the country has led to complex coping for the entire population, with implications and widespread expression among weaker populations, including the elderly and people with disabilities who have been cut off from their immediate aid environment and from the protection mechanisms it provides them," attorney Dr. Meital Segal-Reich, national supervisor in the field of representation of the elderly and legal capacity in the Legal Aid Department at the Ministry of Justice, told Israel Hayom.
She went on to add that "this unique population, for whom changes and breaking routines present unique challenges, and who need assistance and support in maintaining routine and a permanent supportive environment, is now forced to deal with displacement from their home that is shaking their world. Some of the professionals and welfare agencies that accompany them in their routine are now far away, some of them themselves are evacuated with their families, so there is concern that these defense mechanisms will weaken."
Vulnerable populations affected.Evacuees in a hotel in Eilat (illustration), photo: AFP
She explained how they work to reduce exploitation of these populations: "In order to locate such and similar cases, we come to the evacuated hotels and increase their access to us, informing them that they can use legal assistance if necessary. We also need the involvement and vigilance of the evacuees themselves, and to report to us in case of identification of a person with disabilities in distress."
In a decision by Justice Ministry Director General Itamar Donenfeld, legal aid personnel open weekly assistance centers in evacuated hotels throughout the country, to which you can also contact the call center Legal guidance: *6085. The Ministry of Justice has also opened a dedicated legal aid hotline for families whose loved ones were murdered, fallen or kidnapped, which he can contact at 073-392-8999.
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