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Israeli President Moshe Katsav began a 16-hour period of leave from duty Thursday morning. (AP file)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners September 14, 2006 |
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President Moshe Katsav, who is under police investigation in a sexual harassment case, stepped down for the day Thursday so as not to preside over the swearing-in of the new chief justice of Israel's Supreme Court.
Katsav relinquished his duties for 16 hours, saying he did not want to distract the media from the appointment of Justice Dorit Beinisch at the ceremony. Parliament speaker Dalia Itzik is to oversee the ceremony.
Katsav, whose position is largely ceremonial, was questioned Wednesday for a fifth time over the allegations by several former employees that he made unwanted sexual advances, in addition to a new twist to the investigation - breach of trust, fraud and involvement in illegal wiretapping. Police revealed that more than seven women have testified against Katsav in sex-related offenses.
Most of the additional crimes about which Katsav was investigated stem from earlier allegations that he sold pardons to criminals in exchange for cash deposited in foreign bank accounts.
The wiretapping claims deal with his alleged use of a special hi-tech phone line that allowed him to listen in on phone conversations held by Beit Hanassi employees. Police had already questioned two senior employees on Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in some of the alleged transgressions.
The investigative team is expected to finish analyzing the testimony Katsav gave in the various cases in the next few days, and decide whether there is sufficient evidence to indict him.
Senior police officials suggested in recent weeks that it will be possible to formulate an indictment against Katsav on at least some of the suspicions ascribed to him. Once the investigation has been completed, the team will present its findings to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, who will ultimately decide whether there is a basis for trying Katsav on criminal charges.
The AP contributed to this report.
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