President Moshe Katsav
Photo: Gadi Kabalo
Katsav affair: Complainant interrogated for 10 hours
A. is interrogated for second time, and continues to claim president had forcible sexual relations with her. Investigation of Katsav, who claims she tried to blackmail him, will be renewed Wednesday
Complainant A. was interrogated Tuesday for close to 10 hours by the police about the President Moshe Katsav affair and alleged sexual harassment. This is the second time A. has been interrogated about the affair.
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On Tuesday, she continued to claim that the president had forcible sexual relations with her. President Katsav, for his part, claims that A. tried to blackmail him. His interrogation is expected to continue Wednesday morning.
Two weeks ago, the president was interrogated twice in his office, on the second floor of the President's Residence in Jerusalem. He was asked probing questions about the nature of his relationship with complainant A., who claims he raped her. Katsav has denied all of her claims, mentioning that his wife and employees of the President's Residence are always in the vicinity of his office.
Last Monday, the president went on vacation with his family to Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) in order to take a break from the drama that has been hounding him since he himself went to the attorney general to notify him that he had been blackmailed by A. This week, he is slated to be interrogated a third time in his office.
Before the president's interrogation, the police reported that the president impounded computers and documents from his residence in order to check if he corresponded with the complainant. However, the President's Residence reported: "Contrary to reports, the president doesn't have a personal computer and he doesn't correspond with anyone by email."
With regard to suspicion that Katsav pardoned prisoners after he granted access to pardon files to his associates, the President's Residence reported: "Not even one pardon file was taken."
