Attorney demands Katsav be charged with breach of faith
Public justice specialist says in letter to attorney general: Sexual assault charges against Katsav do not sufficiently reflect how much his deeds damaged the public's faith in presidential institution
Former President Moshe Katsav must be indicted for breach of faith in addition to the sexual assault charges leveled against him, public justice specialist Attorney Dafna Holtz-Lechner demanded of Attorney General Menahem Mazuz Wednesday.
In her letter to Mazuz, Holtz-Lechner wrote: "The facts detailed in the indictment against Mr. Katsav, as it was published, clearly indicate that in performing the deeds he is accused of, Mr. Katsav breached the public's faith in him as a public figure."
According to the indictment, the details of which were reached in a plea bargain last week, the former president will be charged with two counts of sexual assault.
Despite the plea deal, Mazuz voiced harsh criticism of Katsav's conduct and accused him of behaving as a serial sex offender for years.
Holtz-Lechner stressed that the current charges against Katsav do not sufficiently reflect his betrayal of the public's faith.
"There is no need to embellish on the grave damage done to the public's trust in the presidential institution as a result of the former president's conduct," Holtz-Lechner told Ynet.
"There is no denying that the presidential post is the highest public position in the state. There is no doubt that the rancor and disgust felt by the public at large towards the president's deeds are due to his betrayal of the public's faith in the presidential institution. This aspect is not reflected in the charges against Katsav, and therefore he should be charged with breach of faith," she said.
