By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav on Tuesday backed out a plea bargain reached with prosecutors over sex crime charges and pled not guilty, vowing to clear his name.
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, after rejecting on Monday Katsav’s petition to postpone the deliberation on the plea agreement, accepted his annulment, which means that Katsav is to face the first trial as the head of state in Israel’s history.
“I decided to cancel the plea bargain because I want to fight for my innocence. I want to put an end to the persecution. I want to fight for the truth,” Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth quoted Katsav as saying after he left the courtroom.
Katsav was disgraced after several women employees accused him of various sexual misconduct. Under the plea bargain he reached last June with Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, Katsav resigned his post, confessed to sexual harassment, forcible indecent assault and harassing a witness, in return for the withdrawal of rape charges and a suspended sentence.
Katsav decided to call off the agreement after consultations over the past months with the defense team who claimed the evidence did not prove any guilt, said Katsav’s lawyer Avigdor Feldman on Tuesday.
“Katsav told me that he couldn’t admit to crimes he didn’t commit,” Feldman said, “the evidence will show that Katsav is innocent.”
Now the ball is back to Mazuz’s court. Local daily Ha’aretz reported that the prosecutors will prepare indictment against Katsav in upcoming days.