Moshe Katsav, the former president of Israel, has been sentenced by a court in Tel Aviv to seven years in prison, following his conviction last December on charges of rape, sexual harassment, indecent acts and obstruction of justice. The District Court also handed him two years of probation and ordered him to pay a total of US$ 35,000 in compensation to two of his victims. Reading out the sentence, Judge George Kara observed that "the defendant committed the crime" and "like every other person he must bear the consequences."
"No one is above law," he said, adding that due to the severity of the crimes, the punishment had to be clear and precise. An unrepentant Katsav shouted: "This is a victory of lies!" as the sentence was read out and vowed to appeal it. The former president broke down in tears upon hearing the three judges’ decision, saying: “They are wrong. They made a serious mistake. It will be proven. The lie won today, you will all see...The women know that they lied. I was not given a chance to defend myself...you kept interrupting my testimony", he added.
The former president will begin serving his sentence on 8 May 2011 after his lawyers struck a deal with Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to give him a month and a half to prepare for his prison term.
Katsav's successor as president, Shimon Peres, said in response to the sentence:"This is a sad day, but everyone is equal before the law."
