State Prosecutor’s office demands Katsav be charged with ‘moral turpitude’
After High Court rejects petitions contesting former president's plea agreement, State Prosecutor’s Office demands he be charged with ‘moral turpitude’ when he is indicted by the Jerusalem Magistrates Court Thursday
The Ministry of Justice reported Tuesday that State Prosecutor’s Office representatives informed the High Court that they intend to pursue such a clause during deliberations regarding Katsav’s plea bargain agreement.
Moreover, The Movement for Quality Government in Israel and the Kolech Association for Orthodox Women asked the Magistrates Court to postpone indicting Katsav so that they can petition the High Court to hold additional deliberations on this matter with an expanded panel of judges.
Katsav’s attorney, Zion Amir, reacted to the expected additon of the ‘moral turpitude’ clause and stated that “this is likely a stumbling block to impede the plea agreement. This is a blatant violation of the plea bargain, and we will have to carefully consider our course of action. The consequences of a ‘moral turpitude’ clause are very grave.”
The High Court of Justice Tuesday approved the Katsav plea agreement by a three to two majority. The approved plea bargain includes only minor sexual offenses - one count of indecent assault involving pressure and one of sexual harassment, and would give Katsav a suspended sentence rather than actual jail time.
Justices Ayala Procaccia, Asher Grunis and Eliezer Rivlin decided to reject the petitions objecting to the deal, while Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish and Justice Edmond Levy supported annulling the plea bargain.
Attorney Amir stated that the former president should not be hit with a ‘moral turpitude’ clause when he is indicted Thursday. “There was not moral turpitude involved in the offenses with which Katsav is charged, and leveling such a charge against him impinges upon his civil rights. We will now have to carefully consider our next steps,” he said.
Amir's associate Attorney Lavi had even harsher words for the State Prosecutor’s Office and added that “Katsav’s legal team will examine the fine judicial nuances of the trail and might considering reneging on the plea bargain…. The final word in this matter has yet to have been spoken.
The Attorney General and State Prosecutor’s offices seemed pleas with the High Court’s decision, which rejected petitions opposing the plea deal. “We chose the right path,” said State Prosecutor’s office representatives. “We took the right course of action and we are glad the court upheld our position.”
The State Prosecutor’s office further asserted that the plea agreement with Katsav helped attain justice in the swiftest and most decisive manner possible, that is charging the former president with sexually based offenses, be they of a lesser extent
Furthermore, noted State Prosecutor representatives, Katsav was forced to resign his post as president and “had to bear public shame, humiliation, and removal from public service, bearing the very heavy burden that these entail”.
Plaintiff A: Truth and justice were subverted
Plaintiff A, who worked with Katsav during his tenure as president, said that she was disillusioned by the plea agreement ultimately reached with Katsav. “I am disillusioned by the fact that the lawyers in this case were able to twist the values of truth and justice,” she said. “I am comforted by the fact that now the Israeli public knows exactly what took place in the presidential residence and what other women have also endured. The public knows the truth about what happened, in spite of the lies spewed by Katsav’s attorneys, and I encounter their love and support everyday.”
Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish stated the during High Court deliberations on the Katsav plea deal, she was convinced that prosecutors did not request that a moral turpitude clause be added to the charges, a sentiment echoed by Katsav’s attorney Tzion Amir.
The State Prosecutors office stated in response that “there is no doubt that these charges involve moral turpitude. It would take a lot of nerve on Katsav’s part to attempt to renter political lives after such charges were leveled against him.”
