Former president Katsav asks for retrial of rape case
In newest attempt to appeal 2011 conviction, attorneys assert that key evidence was overlooked
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Former president and convicted rapist Moshe Katsav officially petitioned the Supreme Court for a retrial of his case Monday.
Katsav’s attorneys argued that there was a miscarriage of justice in his trial. If this were found to be true, it could trigger a mistrial.
According to a Channel 2 report last week, Katsav’s attorneys have for a number of months been preparing a new line of defense, after they claimed to have found a “distortion of judgment” in the court’s original ruling.
Before deciding to request an additional trial, Katsav’s attorneys reportedly consulted with a team of senior legal scholars and retired judges who, after reviewing the case file, concluded that key evidence may have been overlooked.
The former president was convicted in 2011 of rape, sexual assault and harassment of a number of female employees while he served as tourism minister and president. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, and has since been waging a campaign for release on numerous fronts.
Katsav has since served a quarter of his term in prison.
In May 2012 he lost an appeal for a retrial, after which his family filed a request for clemency to President Shimon Peres.
Katsav is still awaiting approval from the Justice Ministry that would allow Peres to review his plea. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni has recommended against pardoning Katsav.
Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report
The Times of Israel Community.