ALBANY – The state’s ethics panel has closed its investigation into former state Sen. Jeff Klein without substantiating allegations that he forcibly kissed a staffer a decade ago.

The Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, in a 5-2 vote, found there was not “sufficient evidence” to determine Klein kissed then-staffer Erica Vladimer “without her consent” in 2015, the panel said in a letter released Friday.

An administrative judge also concluded Klein did not kiss Vladimir.

Former state Sen. Jeff Klein said he did not kiss a then-staffer against her will in an Albany bar in 2015. AP

Klein, who lost his Bronx seat in 2018, the year he asked the ethics body to launch its investigation, hailed the commission’s conclusion as a victory.

“After fighting for nearly a decade to res

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