by hava1 » Sun Oct 15, 2006 5:50 pm
<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr><br>Last update - 22:37 15/10/2006 <br> <br> <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://Police" target="top">Police advise against charging accuser with blackmail<br> </a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <br>By Jonathan Lis and Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondents <br> <br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>The police team investigating allegations against President Moshe Katsav on Sunday recommended that the president be charged with rape, sexual assault, eavesdropping, fraud, breach of trust and improprieties in gift distribution.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>The investigators presented their findings and recommendations for indictment to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz and senior officials in the State Prosecutor's office, and said they had consolidated enough evidence to try the president.<br><br>This was the first time reports of improper gift distribution have been released to the public. Investigators said there was not enough evidence to try Katsav for improprieties in the pardons process.<br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong><br> The most serious charge Katsav could face is for the alleged rape of two women.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino, head of police investigation and intelligence, and Deputy Commissioner Yoav Sigalovich, also recommended against trying A., the former President's Residence employee whose alleged blackmail of the president spurred the controversy, for lack of evidence.<br><br>Investigators also said Sunday that their examination of the case was not entirely completed, adding that they planned to question Katsav further.<br><br>Jerusalem District Attorney Eli Abarbanel, who has been monitoring the case, is expected to complete his recommendation on indictment in the next few days and pass it on to State Prosecutor Eran Shendar, along with a draft indictment. Attorney General Menachem Mazuz is expected to make his final decision on the case within two weeks.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Police sources said that the probe has produced evidence to support all three of the possible charges against the president: sexual offenses, improprieties in the pardons process and illegal wiretapping of President's Residence employees.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->The prosecution must still decide whether this evidence is sufficient for an indictment. However, senior police officials said this weekend that they believe an indictment is certain; the only question, they said, is on which charges.<br><br>Prosecution sources said that at least with regard to the sex offenses, Mazuz is expected to adopt the police's recommendation to indict. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Police have received complaints from 10 women against Katsav, and police sources said that an indictment could be filed in three or four of these cases</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->.<br><br>With regard to both the sexual offenses and the pardons process, the police have evidence that has not previously been published in the media, the sources said.<br><br>But Katsav's lawyer, Zion Amir, insisted on Saturday that the evidence does not justify indicting his client in any of the three categories of charges.<br><br>The prosecution may also decide to indict certain senior employees of the President's Residence on charges of abetting some of Katsav's alleged crimes, the police sources said. <br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>With regard to the pardons issue, both the director general of the President's Residence and the residence's legal advisor have already been questioned under warning, and police sources said that over the last few days, they have uncovered additional evidence of improprieties in the granting of pardons</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->.<br><br>Police sources explained that while some of the evidence collected indicates criminal behavior on Katsav's part, much of it seems to point instead to behavior that was merely problematic from a public standpoint. <br><br>Mazuz will thus have to decide whether the "criminal" evidence is strong enough to give the prosecution a reasonable chance of winning a conviction in court.<br><br>The prosecution will also have to decide whether there is sufficient evidence to charge A., the former President's Residence employee who accused Katsav of rape, with attempting to blackmail the president. Police officials said that they believe there is evidence to support such a charge. <br><br>Attorney Yossi Fuchs on Sunday demanded the High Court of Justice order Katsav to resign, if for the president's own benefit, until the state decides whether or not to indict him. Fuchs also requested an temporary injunction be issued preventing Katsav from participating on the opening of the Knesset's winter session on Monday.<br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong><br>President Moshe Katsav will attend the opening of the winter session, but will not address the forum, his brother told Israel Radio on Sunday.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>"The president has decided to accept Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik's invitation," said Lior Katsav. "He will pass on addressing the Knesset members, but he will definitely attend."<br> <br><hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> <p></p><i></i>
