Last update - 00:00 16/02/2007
Date for Pres. Katsav's hearing to be set Sunday
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
On Sunday, President Moshe Katsav's defense team and the attorney general's office will set a date in late April for Katsav's hearing. Katsav's defense attorneys, Avigdor Feldman and Zion Amir, have reviewed the evidence and believe they need about two and half months to prepare their arguments.
Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has agreed to April 25-30, after Passover. The Justice Ministry has stated that the attorney general could hold the hearing immediately; however, the defense team needs time to review the case file and prepare arguments. Mazuz's final decision regarding whether to indict Katsav is expected within two weeks of the hearing, in mid-May. In the event Mazuz decides to indict, Katsav will have to resign in order to fulfill his commitment to the High Court of Justice.
At the hearing, Katsav and his defense team plan to argue against the charges and are not expected to propose a plea bargain, which would amount to an admission of at least some misdeeds. A Katsav associate said that circles close to the president were surprised by the severity of the draft indictment, which exceeded what they expected based on the facts they knew.