11/05 Israel's ex-president spared prison for several more days

English.news.cn   2011-05-11 21:24:16 Backgrounder: Former Israeli president's sexual scandal

JERUSALEM, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Israel's High Court of Justice on Wednesday granted former President Moshe Katzav several more days as a free man, announcing that it would hand down its ruling on an appeal to postpone his prison sentence early next week.

The Tel Aviv District Court in March sentenced Katzav to seven years in jail for two counts of rape and other sexual offenses against women who worked with him at the President's Residence, and during his tenure as Tourism Minister.

The former president's defense team earlier this month appealed the court to overturn the rape conviction, claiming that sexual relations with "A," the main complainant in the rape trial, were consensual.

Attorneys Tzion Amir and Micha Feldman also requested that the execution of the prison term be delayed until the end of deliberations on the appeal. Feldman argued that the delay would prevent the possible embarrassment of an acquittal being handed down after the former president was already behind bars.

Katzav was scheduled to enter prison on Sunday.

The State Prosecution opposed Katzav's request at Wednesday's hearing, saying that he should be "treated like any citizen."

"Legally, this is a regular case. The defendant was charged with a felony," local news service Ynet quoted Aryeh Peter, the State Prosecution representative, as saying.

Editor: Xiong Tong

22/05 Former Israeli president appeals rape conviction in High Court

English.news.cn 2011-05-02 22:42:52

JERUSALEM, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Former Israeli President Moshe Katzav on Monday appealed the High Court of Justice to overturn his conviction on charges of rape and sexual abuse of female subordinates.

The Tel Aviv District Court on March 22 sentenced Katzav to a seven-year jail term two years' probation for rape and multiple counts of sexual harassment of three women with whom he worked during his terms as tourism minister and president.

The three-judge panel also ruled Katzav paid 35,000 U.S. dollars in compensation to two of the victims.

Tzion Amir and Avigdor Feldman, the attorneys representing Katzav, asked the High Court to defer execution of the sentence, set to begin on May 7, until appeal proceedings are complete.

"The judges completely ignored parts of the evidence in their verdict while other parts, in our opinion, were not given their due weight," The Jerusalem Post daily quoted Amir as saying.

The appeal includes a claim reiterated by Katzav that his fate had been sealed in a public trial fuelled by the media, long before the official sentence was read.

Israeli daily Ha'aretz on Monday assessed the chances of the appeal as low, since the High Court rarely overturns sentences handed down by the country's district courts.

However, Katzav stands some chance of having the prison term mitigated after one judge, representing the minority, said that case justifies a sentence of no more than four years' incarceration, according to the report.


Editor: yan

22/03 Israeli former president sentenced to seven years in prison

English.news.cn   2011-03-22 15:50:12

Israeli former President Moshe Katzav leaves the Tel Aviv District Court on March 22, 2011, after being sentenced to seven years in jail and two years of probation for rape and other sexual offenses against female employees.(Xinhua/JINI)

JERUSALEM, March 22 (Xinhua) -- With tear-soaked eyes and accompanied by his sons, former Israeli President Moshe Katzav exited the Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday morning after being sentenced to seven years in jail and two years probation for rape and a host of other sexual crimes.

On December 30, Katzav was convicted of two counts of rape and sexual harassment of former female employees who were subordinate to him during his tenures as tourism minister and later as president.

The three-judge panel also ruled that Katzav will pay 100,000 shekels (28,000 U.S. dollars) in compensation to "Aleph," who claimed to have been raped and sexually harassed by Katzav when she worked at the President's Residence.

"The fact that Katzav was a minister and a president makes this case unprecedented. His former titles can't be taken to his credit. On the contrary, it makes his acts more severe," said Judge George Karra in the argument that preceded the reading of the sentence.

"The offense of rape is the most severe among sexual crimes, Katzav committed rapes with violent forces and exploitation of his victims' weakness and his high rank, which is why the punishment must be clear and concise," Karra said, adding, "No man is above the law."

Katzav, 65, Israel's eighth president, is the highest-ranking Israeli official ever sent to jail.

On Tuesday, he continued to maintain his innocence, bursting out at the judges: "You're wrong! It's a lie! The girls know that they are lying!"

Israeli former President Moshe Katzav leaves the Tel Aviv District Court on March 22, 2011, after being sentenced to seven years in jail and two years of probation for rape and other sexual offenses against female employees. (Xinhua/JINI)   Israeli former President Moshe Katzav (C, Front) leaves the Tel Aviv District Court on March 22, 2011, after being sentenced to seven years in jail and two years of probation for rape and other sexual offenses against female employees. (Xinhua/JINI)

22/03 Sentence hearing in Israeli former president's rape trial opens

English.news.cn   2011-03-22 15:35:44

Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav attends a meeting with cancer fundraising volunteers at the president's official residence in Jerusalem October 17, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)

JERUSALEM, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Tel Aviv District Court convenes Tuesday morning to hand down the sentence of Israeli former President Moshe Katzav, who has been convicted of committing rape and other sexual offenses against female employees.

Legal proceedings against Katzav were launched in March 2009 behind closed doors. On Dec. 30, he was charged with several counts of rape and sexual harassment of former female employees who were subordinate to him during his tenures as tourism minister in the late 1990s and later as president.

Legal experts assess that the former president faces a four- to six-year prison term.

Editor: Xiong Tong