Katsav's accusers are ready to face him in court

"It won't be easy, after all I thought the whole thing was almost over," the woman known as A. from the Tourism Ministry told Haaretz on Tuesday.

"But I have one advantage: I have my truth and I intend to go with my truth to the end. I know full well where I am going and I know it will be difficult but I'll take it to the end. I am sure that when the judge hears and sees me, he'll believe me."

A.'s complaints against Katsav were the most serious. In drafting the original indictment against him, the state accepted her statement to the police that Katsav had twice raped her when she worked at the Tourism Ministry during his term as minister and forcibly performed an indecent act on her. These three most serious counts were struck from the indictment later reached in the plea bargain; it charged Katsav with performing an indecent act - the embrace with A. - "while exploiting the employer-employee relationship."

In light of Katsav's rejection Tuesday of the plea bargain, the state could choose to restore the rape charge.

A. is having trouble coping with the fact that the same state attorneys who in recent months have done everything possible, before the High Court of Justice, to prove that her testimony was full of contradictions, in order to justify the reduced charges, will now be responsible for defending her accusations in court.

The other complainant known as A., from the President's Residence, was not part of the plea bargain. She told police that Katsav had raped her. In the draft indictment, her complaints turned into prohibited sexual relations that exploited the employer-employee relationship. In the end, these charges were removed from the charge sheet. A.'s distress over the decision led her to petition the High Court of Justice over it.

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz and his people set out in detailed fashion, in the confidential section of the state's response to the High Court, their reasons for concluding that A.'s testimony was not credible. And now, after Katsav has withdrawn from the plea bargain, it is not inconceivable that A. will once again be the star witness.

Media adviser Nissim Douek yesterday issued a response on behalf of A.: "A. expressed her joy at the decision. However, we recently announced that we intend to pursue our case against Katsav in civil court, and therefore one way or another Katsav will stand trial for his relations with A. Now the possibility of a criminal trial has been reopened but that does not change the path that she recently chose and may even expedite it."

The accusations of a third woman, L. from the President's Residence, were included in the plea-bargain indictment as an embrace by Katsav. In the past L. expressed satisfaction with the plea bargain, as it showed that prosecution believed her and saved her the necessity of testifying in court. But now she will be unable to avoid a court appearance.

"It certainly won't be an enjoyable experience for her but she definitely will testify. It's not the end of the world for someone who tells the truth, even if it is an unpleasant experience, and for that reason Katsav absolutely did not ruin her day when he announced his rejection of the plea bargain," L.'s attorney, Zecharia Schenkolewski, said on behalf of his client.

The rejection of the plea bargain could bring into play the additional women who came forth to accuse Katsav of sexual misconduct but whose statements were not included in the indictment, due to the statute of limitations. There is a good chance that some of them will be ordered to testify in court in order to establish the pattern of Katsav's behavior, even if the offenses cannot be prosecuted.

One of these women is A. from the Transportation Ministry, whose description of alleged indecent acts performed on her by Katsav was considered highly credible by the police and the State Prosecutor's Office.