Israel's former president Moshe Katsav faces at least eight years in prison after he was convicted Thursday of two counts of rape for assaulting a former employee, a Tel Aviv court said.
The verdict, which also found Katsav guilty of sexually harassing a second employee, caps a four-year process that saw the former president resign his post and spurn a plea deal that would have cleared him of the rape charges, AFP reported.
The verdict marks the climax of a four-and-a-half year saga that has riveted the nation as it watched its top citizen face the most serious charges ever levelled toward an Israeli
public official.
The 65-year-old Katsav is also facing charges of lesser sex crimes involving two other former employees. A verdict on those charges is expected later in the day, AP reported.
Israel's presidency is a largely ceremonial position. But the allegations roiled the country by portraying the man supposed to be Israel's moral compass as a predatory boss who forced himself on female employees.
Katsav resigned in 2007 and was replaced by Shimon Peres.
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