More than seven months after an appeal was filed - and under pressure of media leaks - the Supreme Court plans to announce its final decision on the Moshe Katzav plea bargain tomorrow morning (Tuesday).
Channel Ten's Baruch Kra made headline news Sunday night with his exclusive, from-inside-the-Court report that the five Supreme Court judges hearing the case are split.
The judges are to rule on an appeal against the plea bargain agreement formulated last year by Attorney General Menachem Mazuz and Katzav's lawyers. The agreement stipulates that Katzav will plead guilty to reduced charges of sexual misconduct, admit to perjury, and compensate two victims. In return, the State Prosecution will drop the rape charge, and Katzav will not face a jail term.
Given that the deliberations of the Supreme Court justices are among the most classified on the public Israeli scene, Kra's detailed report that three judges are against revoking the agreement and two are in favor raised many eyebrows. Kra further reported that the two who are in favor are the women on the panel, including Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch.
In addition to Beinisch, Deputy Supreme Court President Eliezer Rivlin, and Justices Ayala Procaccia, Edmond Levi and Asher Grunis are hearing the appeal. The appeal was filed in July 2007 by the Movement for Quality Government, the Women’s Caucus, and one of the three complainants against Katzav.
Seemingly in response to the Channel Ten report, Beinisch announced Monday morning that the final decision would be announced on Tuesday morning.
At least one of the women who accused Katzav of sexual misconduct asked the Supreme Court to respect the plea bargain. The woman, known to the public as “L,” is one of two complainants whose accusations were included in the plea bargain agreement. Charges by a third woman were dropped.
Kra's report comes at an awkward time for the Supreme Court. Just two days ago, Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann accused it of disseminating propaganda as if it were a political party, and of being supported chiefly by "Meretz and the Arabs." He also reasserted an earlier statement that Israel is in a better position defending its policies before international bodies than in the Supreme Court.