In about-face, ex-president Katsav appeals parole rejection

After being denied early release, convicted rapist continues bid to cut his 7-year sentence

Former president Moshe Katsav will appeal a decision by the Israel Prisons Service parole board to reject his request for early release from prison, where he is serving out a seven-year sentence for rape and other offenses.

Days after the the ex-president said he would not appeal the decision, Katsav on Thursday informed his lawyer Zion Amir that he wished to submit the 22-page-long petition to the parole board.

At Amir’s request, the Sunday deadline to file the appeal was extended until Thursday by the Lod District Court.

Katsav, 70, was convicted on December 30, 2010, of two counts of rape along with other sexual offenses committed against female workers during his term as president as well as earlier, when he served as tourism minister. He was also convicted of obstruction of justice. He began serving his sentence in December 2011, and is slated for release in December 2018.

On April 6, after twice delaying a decision, the IPS parole board announced that it had rejected his plea. In citing the reasons for its decision, the board noted the former president remained unrepentant, consistently denying his guilt and showing no regard for the condition of his victims.

“In front of us is a prisoner who denies the crimes that he committed, who continues to claim his innocence, despite the court ruling in his matter, and continues to spend time trying to prove his innocence, as though there had been no legal process,” the decision read.

The board also noted it took into consideration opposition to the parole from Katsav’s victims, as well as various opinions from rehabilitation treatment experts.

After the board rejected his bid for early release, associates of Katsav said the former president became despondent and fell into a deep depression.

Citing his lost faith in the IPS parole process, Katsav then turned to President Reuven Rivlin, and requested a presidential pardon. However, during a recent meeting with Katsav’s wife, Gila, Rivlin made clear there was “very little chance” he would grant an early release to the former president.