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History See other History Articles Title: Police quiz Katsav on suspicion of raping employee (PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL) Police quiz Katsav on suspicion of raping employee By Jonathan Lis and Roni Singer-Heruti President Moshe Katsav was questioned under caution for five hours yesterday on suspicion of committing various sexual offenses - ranging from sexual harassment to rape - against A., a former employee of the President's Residence. "There are a wide variety of sexual offenses alleged against Katsav," a senior police officer said. "The investigating team is currently examining which sections of the law, from rape to illegal consensual sex, he actually violated. Not everything is clear yet." This morning, police will resume their interrogation of Katsav, which is being conducted at the President's Residence. Police said they expect today's session to last about the same amount of time. Meanwhile, MK Yoram Marciano (Labor) yesterday began collecting the 20 Knesset members' signatures needed to convene the Knesset House Committee to discuss ousting Katsav. Committee Chair Ruhama Avraham (Kadima) responded that she does not consider it proper to begin this process while the investigation is still in progress. Nevertheless, she urged Katsav "to rescue the dignity of the presidency by going on leave until the investigation ends." During the interrogation, Katsav vehemently denied all the allegations against him. Afterward, his attorney, Zion Amir, told reporters: "The president cooperated fully and answered the investigators' questions. The interrogation was conducted professionally and in a positive spirit, and we have no complaints about anything .... The president has promised to make himself available at any time, and even to cancel previous commitments, in order to speed up the investigation and bring it to a close." However, Amir added, Katsav has no intention of resigning or suspending himself. A statement issued by the President's Residence said Katsav had answered all the investigators' questions in detail. "The president has awaited this meeting with the investigating team for a long time, after many weeks of tendentious and malicious leaks and [press] reports," the statement added. Police sources said that during the interrogation, which began at about 10 A.M., Katsav seemed tense and pressured. He gave his testimony continuously, with no breaks. The session began with questions about A.'s accusation that Katsav exploited his power as her employer to force her to have sex with him. However, it later moved on to complaints by two other employees of the President's Residence about Katsav's sexual relationships with them. Katsav denied all the allegations, saying he has never had sexual relations with any employee of the President's Residence. Within a few days, the investigators are expected to decide whether to stage a confrontation between Katsav and A. They are also expected to decide whether to question Katsav's wife, Gila. "This is a complicated investigation from both the legal and evidentiary standpoints, and it will not be simple to prove the various allegations," said a police source. "The investigation is expected to continue for a long time. Today was just the beginning of the road, and Katsav is likely to be questioned several more times about the various issues." Though yesterday's session focused on the allegations of sexual offenses, police also questioned Katsav about his complaint to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz that A. had tried to blackmail him. It was that complaint that caused Mazuz to open the investigation. As far as is known, however, the interrogation did not deal with another accusation that A. made against Katsav - that he allowed private businessmen to examine pardon requests and gave priority to their requests. Amir termed this allegation baseless. But a senior police official told Haaretz, "The information amassed on this issue to date is more significant than what has been published in the media." A.'s attorney, Kinneret Barashi, declined to comment either on Katsav's interrogation or on media reports claiming A. had made her allegations out of pique over a failed romance. "In the end, I am sure the entire public will know who told the truth the whole way and who lied the whole way," said Barashi. "Therefore, I don't see fit to respond to those libels against my client." Despite his refusal to suspend himself, Katsav is liable to find it increasingly difficult to function in the coming weeks: For fear of obstructing the investigation, he will be unable to communicate with the many employees of the President's Residence who also have been questioned about the case. Moreover, it is not clear whether he will be able to continue granting pardons: When former president Ezer Weizman was under investigation, the justice minister refused to transfer pardon requests to him. Amiram Barkat and Yuval Yoaz contributed to this report.
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#2. To: aristeides (#0)
Maybe this loser could work up a pardon for fellow loser Jack Abramoff. The US would honor it of course, anything for an "ally"...
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