His attorney Yehoshua Reznick said that the request is based on “factual and legal discrepancies” in the case.
By BEN HARTMANFormer president Moshe Katsav at Supreme Court 311 (R)(photo credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)
Former president Moshe Katsav on Monday filed a request to the Supreme Court for a retrial in his sex crimes conviction which saw him sentenced to seven years in prison in December 2011.His attorney Yehoshua Reznick said that the request is based on “factual and legal discrepancies” in the case and what he says is the lack of an evidentiary basis to the testimony of “Aleph,” who testified that she was raped by Katsav.Reznick said that a few months ago he began examining the case along with other legal experts, eventually coming to the conclusion that the case was flawed to a significant extent and there is reason to issue a request for a retrial.Few requests for a mistrial are granted after losing an appeal to the Supreme Court, unless a radical new factual element comes into play, such as new DNA evidence or a new person confessing to the crime.Reznick did not want to speculate about tactics until filing, but media reports indicated that aspects of the earlier trial had been fundamentally unjust.The request also deals with questions about the time line of the evening when Aleph was raped by Katsav, according to the court ruling. The request says that phone records cast serious doubt on the testimony Aleph gave in the trial.In September, Katsav left prison for his first 24-hour furlough, which he was given after meeting the legal requirements, including that he served a quarter of his seven year sentence and that he was ruled to not pose a risk to the public.Without any new legal development, Katsav is still due to serve the majority of his seven year sentence.Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
Related TagsMoshe Katsav
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