Moshe Aviv Tower
Photo: Jeremy Feldman
Former President Moshe Katsav
Photo: Tsafrir Abayov
Katsav gets new office
Finance Ministry signs lease for former president and suspected sex offender Moshe Katsav on top floor of Israel's tallest building. Spacious office to cost taxpayers $3,714 per month
Israel's tallest building, and one of the most prestigious business spaces in the country, is expecting a new tenant come December 1 – former president and suspected sex offender, Moshe Katsav.
According to a Yedioth Ahronoth report, the Finance Ministry signed a lease for Katsav's luxurious office on the 49th floor of the Moshe Aviv Tower, located in the central city of Ramat Gan, on Monday.
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The property includes a spacious office with a secretary's post, a deluxe office and conference room, and of course, a kitchenette. Katsav's office spans 1270 square feet and has breathtaking panoramic views, showcasing the busy Tel Aviv metropolitan area to the Samarian mountains.
Katsav won't have to go far to pray either, as the building also houses a spacious synagogue. In his free time, the former president can go for a workout at the building's state-of-the-art gym.
Katsav's neighbors include some of Israel's largest law firms and insurance companies, and his new office will cost the Israeli taxpayers NIS 14,000 (US$ 3,714) per month.
Workers at nearby offices commented on Monday on the upcoming arrival of their new neighbor: "I heard Katsav is supposed to come here. But he doesn't have a chance with me. Besides, the firm's male secretary will accompany us outside of the office if necessary," said one female office clerk, smiling.
Another female employee added, also with a smile, "From now on we will be sure to take the elevator in pairs and not leave the entrance to the office open."The Moshe Aviv Tower office was not the former president's first choice, and he was set to rent office space in the Beit Amot Mishpat building in central Tel Aviv. Prior to signing the lease, however, the building management claimed there was no room for Katsav's office in the building.
Finance Ministry sources said Katsav was met with similar rejection from other Tel Aviv office buildings as well until finally finding a place in the Moshe Aviv Tower, the most expensive of them all.
Nir Gontarz contributed to this report
