The Movement for Quality Government is looking into a possible petition to the High Court of Justice in the wake of yesterday's TheMarker report on President Moshe Katsav's pension rights. The organization has decided to look into all the benefits to which Katsav is entitled when his term in office expires.

The report noted that the law does not call for any sanctions against a president forced out of office. At the same time, MK Haim Oron of Meretz said yesterday that everyone should wait for conclusion of the legal proceedings against Katsav before discussing the benefits in his pension package.

The Movement for Quality Government intends to examine the legal implications of the possibility that Katsav will end his term in office because of the police investigation against him, and then formulate a position on the matter.

In February 2006, a subcommittee of the Knesset Finance Committee, headed by former MK Avraham Shochat and also including former MK Nissim Dahan and Oron, decided that all former presidents would enjoy the use of an office, an official residence in Jerusalem and other benefits at the state's expense for seven years after leaving office. The subcommittee recommended that these rules also apply to Katsav upon his retirement in July 2007.

However, on the eve of the elections to the current Knesset, the Finance Committee members refused to downgrade Katsav's pension conditions, arguing that one cannot retroactively take away benefits for someone already serving in office.

Oron was the only member of the committee to vote against not applying the rules to Katsav.

"I alone remained faithful to the decision of the subcommittee, according to which the eligibility period for state support should be applied to all former presidents and prime ministers," Oron said yesterday.

He noted that the committee had decided not to adversely affect the conditions of older former presidents and prime ministers such as Yitzhak Shamir, Yitzhak Navon and Ephraim Katzir. However, he claimed the subcommittee had ruled that Katsav's benefits would last seven years, while those of former prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak would last five years.