Israeli President, Moshe Katsav, responded to insinuations regarding his alleged blackmail by a female employee claiming to have been sexual harassed by him.
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| Katsav affair: Police may launch probe / Efrat Weiss |
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President has yet to file official complaint against his secretary for allegedly blackmailing him, but senior police source tells Ynet 'investigation could be launched without complaints, if attorney general orders it' |
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"I had only professional relations with all of my female employees," said the president, during a ceremony honoring new ambassadors at the presidential residence.
Although the president said recently that he did not file a complaint with the police on the blackmail affair, a senior police source told Ynet that "if the attorney general orders us to launch an investigation, we'll do so without a complaint by either side."
President Katsav claimed he had received blackmail threats, while his former secretary claims she was sexually harassed by him.
The police's top brass has in the meantime been "sitting on the fence" and waiting to see whether the ball reaches their court.
Investigation depends on sufficient evidence
A senior police source said that "the procedure is that when a police complaint arrives, we launch an investigation, but if enough evidence is collected by the attorney general, he can also order an investigation, and we can launch it without a complaint."
The same source added: "The police do not expect such an incident. And it could be that in the end the attorney general will decide that there is enough evidence and no complaints have been launched. In such a case, no investigation will be launched."
Another senior source in the police said: "Although in theory this is a relatively simple investigation of collecting witness statements by both sides, due to the sensitivity and the status of the sides involved, the investigation is complicated."
Aviram Zino contributed to the report
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