Livni says she opposes clemency for Katsav

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday recommended against pardoning former president Moshe Katsav, who is serving a seven-year sentence for sex offenses.

The request for clemency was filed by Katsav’s family, not by him, Livni wrote President Shimon Peres. The former president has yet to understand the severity of his actions and is far from expressing regret — as expected from someone asking for early release — she said, adding that the suffering of the women Katsav hurt was greater than that of his family.

In 2011, the former president was sentenced to seven years behind bars and since then has been waging a campaign to get out of Ma’asiyahu Prison, where he is serving out his term.

He was convicted of rape, sexual assault and harassment of a number of female employees while tourism minister and president.

In May 2012, Katsav lost an appeal for a retrial, leaving clemency as his only option for an early release. In October 2012, he appealed to Peres for a pardon. However, before the president can examine the plea, it must be approved by the Justice Ministry.

Katsav, who continues to protest his innocence and has never publicly expressed remorse for his crimes, has asked to be released from prison on the grounds that he wasn’t given a fair trial.