Katsav to Treasury: Give me a luxury car, lavish Tel Aviv office

Former president Moshe Katsav, who faces a litany of sex crime charges including possibly rape, has asked the Treasury to finance a luxury vehicle and a lavish Tel Aviv office.

Katsav asked the Finance Ministry to finance a black Audi A6, worth roughly 300,000 shekels, along with a 150 square-meter office in Tel Aviv's Azrieli tower that would cost tax payers hundreds of thousands of shekels a year.

Former presidents receive from the state a yearly stipend worth approximately 1.175 million shekels, meant to pay for housing, office space, a car and driver, and personal assistants.

Three months ago, Katsav surprisingly rejected a plea bargain struck with the state prosecution, whereby he would have admitted to sexual misconduct in return for a suspended sentence.

The state prosecution will file a new indictment in the near future. Should Katsav be convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, his state benefits will be revoked.

Meanwhile, the primary complainant against Katsav on Monday passed a polygraph test that she initiated, in which she was asked questions about her relations with the former president. The complainant, a former President's Residence employee, has accused Katsav of rape.

	Former president Moshe Katsav. (Archives)