Last update - 00:00 11/10/2006
Mazuz says not calling on Katsav to remove himself at this point
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
Attorney General Menachem Mazuz is not calling on President Moshe Katsav to resign so long as the investigation into rape allegations against the president is ongoing, according to a Justice Ministry statement issued on behalf of Mazuz on Wednesday.
"The issue of temporarily removing the president from office due to his being incapacitated by a criminal investigation is a matter that is up to the president himself and the Knesset," said the statement.
"The attorney general does not have the authority to instruct the president to remove himself from office nor to instruct the Knesset to make such a decision," the statement said.
The statement was issued due to what a justice ministry spokesman called "inaccurate reports" regarding Mazuz's position on whether or not Katsav should resign.
"At this time and at this stage in the investigation the attorney general has no intention of expressing a legal or public position on the issue of taking the step of temporarily removing [the president from office]," continued statement.
"With the conclusion of the police investigation and the examination of the evidence in the case, the question of whether or not to take a stand on the issue will be considered," said the statement.
Police are expected to complete there investigation of Katsav next week, and which point the case files will be transferred in their entirety to the State Prosecutor's Office. At that time, the police will also make their recommendation regarding whether there is enough evidence to file charges against the president.
The police are expected to recommend that Katsav be charged with sex offenses, and Mazuz is expected to adopt their recommendation due to the extensive amount of evidence collected against the president.