Israel's President Moshe Katzav is expected to announce his suspension on Wednesday after Israel's Attorney General decided in principal that Katzav would face a series of charges including rape, sexual harassment, obstruction of justice, fraud and breach of trust.
Final decision on the charges is pending a hearing on the issue, though few believe that the decision will be reversed by Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, according to Haaretz. Should Katsav be convicted of all the charges in the draft indictment, he is likely to spend many years in jail.
Many in Israel demanded that rather than suspending himself, Katsav resign immediately rather waiting for a decision regarding the possible indictment after the hearing on the matter.
Katsav is accused of sexually assaulting four women include three current and former employees of the President's Residence and one who worked under Katsav during his tenure as tourism minister, in 1998-1999. The rape charge, accompanied by charges of forcible indecent acts involves a former Tourism Ministry employee.
In the meantime, the affair has sparked a race to the presidency to fill Katzav's place.
