Katsav
Photo: Haim Zach
Katsav's plea bargain
Former president agrees to having committed two different sexual offenses in return for dropping of rape charge
Following Moshe Katsav's plea bargain with the Attorney General's office, which was signed Thursday afternoon, the suspended president pleaded guilty to two separate sexual offenses.
Indictment 1 – Assaults in the post of Tourism Minister
During his tenure as Tourism Minister, the accused took advantage of his rank and station in order to do the following acts, without the complainant's consent, using coercion:
From the first days on the job, the accused would compliment complainant A frequently on her job skills and her physical appearance.
When A would come into his office for work meetings, the accused would ask her to stand next to him, and used to pet her and hug her around the waist. In some cases, he even tried to kiss her on the mouth.
During several of these instances, the accused asked A to stand next to a bookshelf in his office, so that it would appear as though he was looking for a book. In some of these cases, A agreed to do so, feeling that she could not say no due to the accused's rank and station.
When driving with complainant A in the same car for work purposes, the accused – who was seated next to the driver – tended to reach towards the back seat and stroke A's leg.
After these incidents, the accused called A and asked her to meet him outside of the office, claiming that they needed to discuss work matters. When they met, the accused tried to press up against her. A pushed the accused away and left the area.
Indictment 2 - Assaults and harassment against L
On December 25, 2005 – the date of a birthday gathering in the accused's honor – L entered his office in order to coordinate last-minute details of the event. At the end of the meeting, L wished the accused a happy birthday.
The accused told L that he deserved a hug. He then rose, gave her a prolonged, frontal hug and kissed her on the neck. L left the office, distraught.
In the final days of September 2006, after the investigation had begun, the accused called L into his office and asked her if she had been questioned again by the police, in addition to a preliminary interview.
L answered that she had not been questioned again. The accused told L that he'd heard rumors regarding the incident in December of 2005 and asked L if she remembered the incident.
L made a facial expression indicating that she did not, at which point the accused told L that, at that time, he had kissed her, but had done so as an expression of gratitude for her hard work. L did not respond.
