Israeli president to be indicted for sex crimes
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Israeli president to be indicted for sex crimes*
July 01, 2007 05:35pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse
PROSECUTORS will file an indictment against Israeli president Moshe
Katsav for sex offences, following a controversial plea bargain slammed
by thousands of people at a public rally.
The indictment against the disgraced head of state, whose resignation
comes into effect at 1am local time, will be filed at a magistrates'
court in Jerusalem as women's groups lodge an appeal at the Supreme Court.
The magistrate will set a date for the case and decide whether it should
be heard by one or three judges.
Iranian-born Mr Katsav on Thursday signed a plea bargain after a year of
public scandal, admitting to a series of sex offences, including
harassment and indecent acts, but dropping two rape charges and escaping
jail time.
It will be the first time in Israeli history that a president faces
becoming a convicted sex offender.
On Saturday, Israel's attorney general Menachem Mazuz, who faced public
blacklash for being seen as too lenient against the president, described
Katsav as a "serial sex offender''.
Mr Mazuz said the state decided to drop rape charges filed by several
women due to a lack of "sufficiently solid evidence.''
The plea bargain sparked a wave of outrage and police said more than
20,000 people, rallied by women's groups and victims of sex attacks,
demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand the scrapping of the deal.