Outgoing President Moshe Katsav will not serve any jail time or do community service for the sexual offenses he is accused of committing, according to a plea bargain reached between Attorney General Menachem Mazuz and Katsav's attorneys.

In addition, the most severe charges Katsav was facing - two counts of rape - will be removed from the indictment.

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Instead, the court will be asked to hand down a suspended sentence whose length is to be determined by the judges.

Mazuz is expected to publicize the details of the deal, which was reported by Channel 10 last night, either tomorrow or early next week.

Katsav is accused of having twice raped a former Tourism Ministry employee while serving as tourism minister, and of forcibly hugging her and touching her leg, which is classified as indecent behavior. The indictment will include an indecent behavior charge, but Katsav will not be charged with using force - only with taking advantage of his position of authority, a lighter offense.

The indictment will also delete an indecent act charge against a President's Residence employee, while leaving intact a sexual harassment charge against another President's Residence employee.

"After the plea bargain, the indictment that remains is going to be very pale," a source close to Katsav said last night.

Katsav associates said that he has not admitted to any form of touching that he considers to be sexual in nature, nor has he admitted to having sexual relations or conducting romances with any of his accusers.

The president had previously refused Mazuz's suggestion that he revise his testimony to the police and change his stance regarding whether he had conducted romances with the women who filed complaints against him.

About a month ago, the Justice Ministry and Katsav's lawyers said they were not considering a deal whereby the rape charges would be deleted in exchange for such a confession by Katsav. Indeed, the plea bargain was reached without the president's admission of any kind of relations with any of the complainants.

In addition, all charges relating to A., the President's Residence employee whose alleged attempted extortion of Katsav led to the investigation, have been dropped. The decision to do so was made by Mazuz, and has no connection to the plea bargain. A. had accused Katsav of having sex with her, entailing abuse of his position. Other charges involving her include nonconsensual indecent behavior, indecent behavior involving abuse of his position, and sexual harassment.

A. and her lawyer, along with the other complainants, were informed of the plea bargain yesterday, as the prosecution is required to do by law.

Other charges not related to sexual offenses have also been removed from the indictment. The draft indictment had included charges of fraud and breach of trust, related to accusations that Katsav purchased dozens of silver goblets with President's Residence funds to distribute at private functions.