Resumen de Former President Guilty of Sexual Crimes: Some Constitutional Thoughts Following the Katzav Affair
As these lines are written, Moshe Katzav, the former President of the State of Israel, is in jail. He was imprisoned at the conclusion of a long legal proceeding, the first of its kind ever to be conducted against a president. Moshe Katzav, was convicted of rape and additional sexual harassment offences, and was handed down a seven-year prison sentence. His appeal with the Supreme Court was dismissed.Known as the 'Katzav Affair' - the story triggered a public storm in Israel that continued for many months, ending almost four years after it began. In the course of the affair, while being suspected of sexual crimes, President Katzav refused to resign and actually used the presidential office as a platform to lash an unprecedented attack against the law-enforcement authorities and the media.The Katzav affair exposed a number of anomalies and lacunae in Basic Law: The President. This paper addresses these issues and analyses a few of the constitutional aspects of the case.
