Former Israeli President Katsav Convicted of Rape

Posted on Dec 31, 2010

AP / Oliver Weiken

Moshe Katsav gestures in court in Tel Aviv on Thursday before the verdict was announced.

After three years since the initial charges, an Israeli court has found the country’s former President Moshe Katsav guilty of rape and sexual harassment.

Katsav was driven from office in 2007 due to the charges. —JCL

Los Angeles Times:

Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav was convicted Thursday of raping an aide and sexually harassing two other women, a verdict hailed as evidence of the nation’s independent judiciary and a reminder that no one is above the law.

The case, one of the most serious ever brought against a high-ranking government official here, drove Katsav from office in 2007. Although the spectacle of a president being brought up on rape charges became a source of national embarrassment, many found solace in the judges’ guilty verdict.

“It attests to the strength of Israel’s democracy,” prosecutor Ronit Amiel said after the court’s ruling. “This day teaches us that world leaders and also presidents will be brought to court when needed, and that is a symbol of honor for the state of Israel.”

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