Key witness in Katsav affair submits affidavit to High Court
By DAN IZENBERGkatsav 298.88(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
This affidavit was submitted to the High Court of Justice by the "second Aleph," also known as "Tourism Ministry Aleph," a key witness in the case against former president Moshe Katsav.
"After the police received complaints of sexual crimes committed by Moshe Katsav, they turned to me and to other women who worked under him, and I gave my testimony.
"From the beginning of my work as office manager [in the Tourism Ministry,] Katsav began to sexually harass me verbally in that he would describe gross and vulgar pictures of his sexual relations with his wife. He would tell me that while he was having sex with her, he was imagining doing it with me. These gross sexual pictures included descriptions of positions, different organs and sexual fantasies.
"Later on, he began to touch and stroke me in various situations. This contact included touching my breasts and stroking me all over my body.
"He also gave me gifts, which I handed over to the police and that are now in their possession. A few months after I began working for him, Katsav raped me in the Tel Aviv office. He did this by exploiting the fact that I was his employee, subordinate to him and decades younger than him.
"About two months after the rape, Katsav went to a hotel in Jerusalem to rest and asked me to come over later to go over some work with him in the lobby. On my way to the hotel, he called and told me to come up to his room and that we'd then go downstairs together. I went up to his room, and there he raped me against my will.
"He committed all the sexual acts I have described above while taking advantage of his authority over me and the fact that he was my boss.
"I told police investigators all of this in my testimony during the several interrogations to which I was summoned.
"Throughout the investigation, I understood, based on what I was told by the police and the state prosecution, that there was firm evidence regarding the sexual crimes committed by Katsav and that they believed me 100 percent. As proof, the attorney-general himself told me a few months ago that the draft of an indictment had been drawn up.
"I thought and hoped that I would be able to speak in court about what had happened and describe the harsh events I experienced. Despite the difficulties involved in testifying in court, especially in a trial like this, I was ready and wanted to testify against the man who hurt me so badly and to see the truth come out and justice done. I have no doubt that as soon as the judges heard by story, they would have believed me, just as the police and state prosecution did, and would punish Katsav severely.
"I cannot describe the shock and amazement I felt when the representative of the prosecution told me on the evening of June 27 that the state had reached a plea bargain with Katsav that in no way reflected what Moshe Katsav did to me... They shut me up, they shut my story up. They did not permit me to tell my story to the court and allow the judges to rule on the matter."
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