Katsav: I won't swear in Supreme Court president
Request that President Katsav not participate in Dorit Beinisch's swearing in ceremony bears fruit. Katsav announces Thursday that he 'prefers not to be present at ceremony in order to prevent controversy.' Katsav says in official notice that he 'sees himself as victim of despicable plot by his former secretary'
President Moshe Katsav announced Thursday that he "prefers not to take part in the swearing in ceremony of the new Supreme Court president in order to prevent controversy around the event."
Senior officials in the court system had called Katsav to refrain from participating in the ceremony because of his investigation. Retired Supreme Court Judge Mishael Cheshin recommended that Katsav "be sick that day." Judge Dorit Beinisch will be sworn in as the new president of the Supreme Court.
It was also reported that "the president announced that he is filling his role as president with responsibility and dedication, will continue uphold all of his legal responsibilities despite the difficult days he and his family are going through, and won't let a despicable and malicious plot to achieve its contemptible purpose.
"However, the president is of the opinion that in light of the police investigation, it is unfitting for him personally to conduct the swearing in ceremony of the incoming president of the Supreme Court. The president prefers not to take part in the ceremony in order to avoid controversy around the appointment of the Supreme Court president. The president requests that the public eye be turned toward the appointment of the president to the Supreme Court, in a ceremony that takes place once in a decade," the statement said.
Katsav interrogated for 4th time
Katsav was interrogated Thursday morning for the fourth time. Police investigators entered his residence in Jerusalem at around 10 a.m.
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.
Investigators arrive at President's Residence (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
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.
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.
