Finance Committee votes in favor of freezing NIS 755,000 in perks owned by state to former president until end of legal proceedings in sexual harrasment case
A Knesset committee froze state perks to Former President Moshe Katsav until the conclusion of a High Court hearing on a plea bargain that would spare him a jail sentence if he confessed to lesser sex offenses.
The Finance Committee voted in favor of freezing NIS 755,000 (about $182,800) in benefits the state owes Katsav pending a High Court ruling on whether the sex offenses attributed to the former president carried moral turpitude.
Lawyers of former president seek to ensure that offenses mentioned in plea bargain signed with Katsav do not carry moral turpitude in bid to prevent him from losing lifetime perks
Should the court rule so, Katsav will be denied hefty state perks that include a private car, advisors, office expenses and a state-owned apartment under a new law passed to limit state benefits to senior public figures convicted of serious crimes.
A plea bargain
agreed between Katsav's lawyers and the state prosecution spares the president a jail sentence and drops rape charges if he confesses to lesser sexual harassment offenses.
But a petition against the deal urged the High Court to rule that the offenses levels against Katsav be classified as carrying moral turpitude.
Attorney General Menachem Mazuz wrote the court that the charges leveled against Katsav in the plea bargain were serious crimes and carried moral turpitude.
Katsav's lawyers have challenged the claim, saying their client would have never accepted the plea bargain had it referred to serious sex crimes.
If the court adopts Mazuz's charge, Katsav could lose over NIS 1 million ($242,128) a year in perks, but his retirement pension will be untouched.
The committee also expanded President Shimon Peres's yearly travel budget by NIS 1.5 million ($363,192). An overall yearly budget of NIS 3.5 million ($847,449) has been earmarked to the president.
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