Moshe Katzav
Moshe KatzavFlash90

A parole board issued a ruling Thursday afternoon denied former President Moshe Katzav’s request for parole.

Katzav, who was sentenced in 2010 to seven years imprisonment for two counts of rape, has served more than two thirds of his sentence, entering prison in December 2011.

The parole board rejected Katzav’s request to be released to parole for the remaining third of this term, despite a change in the position of the Prisoner’s Rehabilitation Authority.

While the PRA had earlier refused to present a rehabilitation option for Katzav outside of prison, prior to the parole board hearing the PRA had altered its position, offering a plan which would have enabled the former president to complete his rehabilitation process as a free man.

Following the board’s rejection of his request, Katzav may now appeal the decision at a district court. Should that appeal be turned down, the former president will have to wait six months before filing a new parole request.