More complaints filed against Katsav
President interrogated for fourth time Thursday; police investigators ask him for details on additional complaints filed by other women apart from his former secretary
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported that apart from the complaints filed by the president's former secretary A., the police are also investigating a suspicion that the president was involved in rape and indecent assault of four other women. Katsav continues to deny the allegations.
The first complainant, A., worked at the president's office and claimed that he had raped her in the office. Katsav claimed at the time that he could not have raped her because the door of his office is always open and his wife Gila "could have walked in."
Another complainant worked during the 1990s at the transportation minister's office. According to her, Katsav forced her to have sexual intercourse with him.
The third complainant worked at the tourism minister's office during Katsav's tenure as minister. According to her version, Katsav forced her to have sexual intercourse with him in 1996.
Another complainant said that Katsav had sexually harassed her when he served in a public role, and another one told the police that Katsav sexually harassed her after being elected as president.
Katsav denied the allegations and claimed that the complainants were attempting to avenge him. Regarding the woman who worked with him at the Transport Ministry and claimed that he forced her to have sexual intercourse with him, Katsav presented a letter from the year 2000 in which the complainant asked for a job at the President's Resident.
'Why would they ask for work if I raped them?'
Regarding the woman who worked with him at the Tourism Ministry, Katsav also claimed that she asked him for work and was rejected.
"I don’t understand how women who claimed that I raped them ask to work for me," Katsav told the investigators.
On Wednesday, Katsav was interrogated for seven hours by the special team of investigators headed by Brigadier General Yoav Segalovich.
At this stage, the investigators believe that the version of complainant A. is solid and reliable. If things don’t change in the course of the investigation, police officials estimated that there would be no option but to recommend that the president be put on trial.
The first complainant, A., was interrogated on Tuesday for 10 hours, during which she told the investigators how she met the president and how he allegedly forced her to have sexual intercourse with him.
The police are trying to get their hands on a tape offered to several media outlets, which may – according to the person in possession of it – "present the complainant in an embarrassing manner."
