Katsav's accuser requests face-to-face meet with ex-President

The High Court of Justice received a request this morning from complainant "A." - a one-time employee of Moshe Katsav - to have a face-to-face meeting with the former President under police supervision, in which they would discuss the details of the accusation against him.

A.'s attorneys stated that because Katsav has rescinded his previous decision to accept a plea bargain and has decided to fight the charges against him, the court must reexamine the possibility of the two parties meeting.

The accusations against the then-president emerged in the summer of 2006 when Katsav reported to police that A. allegedly tried to blackmail him, demanding $200,000 in exchange for her silence about alleged sexual relations between them.

Katsav also submitted a tape recording of the suspected extortion attempt. But then A. filed her own complaint, accusing her former supervisor of having coerced her into a sexual relationship through intimidation and exploiting his superior position as her employer.

The complaint by A. prompted several other women to come forward with similar accusations.

Katsav, a married father of five and grandfather, vehemently denied the charges, and also insisted he did not engage in sexual relationships with any of the women.

He resigned last June, weeks before his term was due to expire, under the terms of the plea bargain. Katsav was succeeded by President Shimon Peres, whom he defeated in the 2000 election.

As part of the plea deal, Katsav was to confess to sexual harassment, forcible indecent assault and harassing a witness. In return he was to receive a suspended sentence, and rape charges were struck from the indictment.

In April, however, Katsav reneged on the plea bargain, vowing to fight the charges against him and clear his name.