Complainant A in Katsav case testifying again

After former president's lawyers bring forth new tape with evidence, police reexamine key witness; sources say indictment still to include rape charges
Efrat Weiss

A, the primary complainant in a sexual harassment case against former president Moshe Katsav, testified again Monday after Katsav's lawyer provided police with a tape allegedly bearing new evidence. After analyzing the tape and the complainant's new testimony, police remain unswayed: A's story is reliable.

Police sources indicated that they will recommend a count of rape to be added to the charges against Katsav.

In early August, Katsav reneged on a plea bargain with the State Prosecutor's Office. In the plea bargain, the former president was to plead guilty to lesser sexual offenses only. His decision to back out of the deal left him open to an indictment on all related criminal charges, including rape.

The contents of the tape were not released, but were meant to undermine the testimony of A, who worked with Katsav when he was tourism minister.

This new evidence, along with A's additional testimony, will be passed along to Ronit Amiel, the lawyer overseeing Katsav's case at the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office. Amiel has replaced Irit Baumhorn, the state lawyer originally in charge of the case and the person who insisted on including A's complaints in the suit against Katsav.