Court okays hearing schedule in Katsav case
Supreme Court denies former president's lawyers' motion to be relieved as counsels, says it sees no cause to overturn initial ruling on the matter. Court also stipulates that consecutive hearings should be applied to all legal procedures
The Supreme Court on Thursday denied a petition by former President Moshe Katsav's attorneys, asking it to overturn the Tel Aviv District Court ruling denying their motion to be relieved as his counsels.
Katsav's lawyers, Avigdor Feldman, Zion Amir and Avraham Lavi, asked to step down from the case nearly two months ago, citing that the court's marathonic schedule for the hearings, which called for four sessions a week, was unreasonable and that it would impair their ability serve other clients.
Moshe Katsav is facing several counts of rape and sexual assault charges against former female employees in the Office of the President and Tourism Ministry.
The Supreme Court advocated the need to conduct daily hearings in cases in general, saying that the fact the most cases are not conducted in this manner "harms both public interests and the ones of the defendants."
Consecutive hearings, added the ruling, "Are in the best interest of the defendant, since they ensure a proper trail… given the fact that a criminal procedure weighs on a person's state of mind, especially if it is prolonged, it may ultimately infringe on his daily life.
"Another aspect of this matter is the one pertaining to witnesses: Holding consecutive hearings goes greatly in favor of facilitating witnesses' testimonies."
The Supreme Court added that given the fact that the former president has three attorneys representing him, they should be able to find time for their other clients, "Since not all three of them must be present in court at all times." The court further added it saw no reason to interfere or overturn the Tel Aviv District Court's ruling.
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