FORMER ISRAELI president Moshe Katsav, convicted in December of rape and sexual harassment, has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Katsav (65) broke down in tears as the Tel Aviv district court judge read out the sentence, which included an additional two-year suspended jail term, and fines of €20,000 and €5,000 to be paid to two of his victims.
He will begin his jail term in 45 days, on May 8th, becoming the highest-ranking Israeli official ever to go to prison.
Judge George Karra told the court that no man was above the law and the fact the defendant achieved such a high rank made the crimes even more severe.
“The crime of rape damages and destroys a person’s soul. Due to the severity of the crime, the punishment must be clear and precise,” he said.
Katsav, who maintained his innocence throughout, shouted at the judge as the sentence was read out. “This is a victory for lies. The girls know they lied. They mock the verdict.” The sentence was approved by two of the three judges. The third judge, in a minority opinion, argued a four-year term, with larger compensation to the victims, would have been more appropriate.
In December, Katsav was found guilty of raping and sexually abusing a former employee when he served as tourism minister, and sexually abusing and harassing two women from the president’s office. The whole affair began almost five years ago when Katsav, then president, went to the attorney general to complain a woman employee was trying to extort money from him. Once the news broke, other women came forward with accusations of rape and sexual harassment.
The turning point came in 2008 when Katsav, who hired some of Israel’s top lawyers, rejected a plea bargain under which he would have admitted to lesser charges and agreed to pay a fine.
He vowed to fight to clear his name and claimed he had been victim of a media witch-hunt.
His lawyers said yesterday they intend to appeal to the high court, but such a move will not delay the start of Katsav’s prison term.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was “a day of sadness and shame, but also a day of pride for the Israeli justice system and the principle of equality before the law”.