Eight crates of files containing hundreds of pages of witness depositions as well as other materials were turned over to the president’s legal team Monday morning so they can prepare for the hearing. In addition, the state prosecutor’s office provided the president’s lawyers with a draft of the indictment to be filed if Attorney General Menachem Mazuz decides to do so.
The preliminary hearing before Attorney General Mazuz may take place two months from now, or a month earlier than originally expected. Only 30 binders of witness testimony, Katzav memos and other documents exist – significantly less than was previously believed.
While the prosecutor’s office and Katzav’s attorneys prepare for their appearance in court, the Knesset House Committee began their debate Monday over whether to impeach the president and when.
Knesset House Committee Chairperson Ruhama Avraham (Kadima) presented guidelines for the debate to the committee members on Monday.
Some MKs accused Knesset legal advisor Nurit Alstein of not giving them the full story last week by not telling them that Katzav's suspension could end unilaterally any time Katzav wishes to end it. Attorney Yoram Sheftel, speaking on the Knesset television channel, snorted at the MKs' behavior, saying that they did not bother to read the relevant law themselves. Sheftel read aloud from the clause that states that the president can end his suspension at any time.
Knesset Member Zahava Gal-On (Meretz), who has been in the forefront of the drive against the president, has said she thinks Katzav’s attorneys should not receive more than two days to prepare for the committee hearing. Others have proposed that the hearings begin in one or two weeks.
In any event, it is considered unlikely that enough votes will be garnered in the Knesset to approve the impeachment proceedings. According to law, a full 3/4 of the House Committee members must vote for impeachment proceedings in order to initiate them. Once the vote reaches the Knesset, again, a 3/4 majority (90 mandates) is required to pass the measure.
The preliminary hearing before Attorney General Mazuz may take place two months from now, or a month earlier than originally expected. Only 30 binders of witness testimony, Katzav memos and other documents exist – significantly less than was previously believed.
While the prosecutor’s office and Katzav’s attorneys prepare for their appearance in court, the Knesset House Committee began their debate Monday over whether to impeach the president and when.
Knesset House Committee Chairperson Ruhama Avraham (Kadima) presented guidelines for the debate to the committee members on Monday.
Some MKs accused Knesset legal advisor Nurit Alstein of not giving them the full story last week by not telling them that Katzav's suspension could end unilaterally any time Katzav wishes to end it. Attorney Yoram Sheftel, speaking on the Knesset television channel, snorted at the MKs' behavior, saying that they did not bother to read the relevant law themselves. Sheftel read aloud from the clause that states that the president can end his suspension at any time.
Knesset Member Zahava Gal-On (Meretz), who has been in the forefront of the drive against the president, has said she thinks Katzav’s attorneys should not receive more than two days to prepare for the committee hearing. Others have proposed that the hearings begin in one or two weeks.
In any event, it is considered unlikely that enough votes will be garnered in the Knesset to approve the impeachment proceedings. According to law, a full 3/4 of the House Committee members must vote for impeachment proceedings in order to initiate them. Once the vote reaches the Knesset, again, a 3/4 majority (90 mandates) is required to pass the measure.