Israel’s disgraced former president has been denied an appeal hearing in his rape case.
Moshe Katzav.
Nearly five years after he resigned from the presidency in the wake of the allegations against him, Supreme Court Justice Esther Hayut ruled that the points raised by katzav’s legal team did not warrant another hearing.
In March 2009 Katzav was formally indicted for two counts of rape and other sexual offences. The case continued until December 2010, when he was found guilty of two counts of rape, one of an obscene act, one of sexual harassment and of attempting to subvert the course of justice.
The highest ranking Israeli official to be jailed, Katzav is now six months into his seven year prison sentence.
Justice Hayut said on Sunday that Katzav’s lawyers had "left no stone unturned" in their plea for another appeal hearing, submitting two new pieces of evidence, but ruled that it was not necessary and that even if the evidence was reviewed it would not change the overall verdict.
She said his conviction was “based on the totality of the evidence”.
