Israeli president in bid to head off rape charges

JERUSALEM, May 2 (Reuters) Lawyers for Israeli President Moshe Katsav met the attorney-general today to make a last-ditch appeal to him to drop rape proceedings against the ceremonial head of state, officials said.

Katsav took leave of absence after Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz announced in January he had evidence that could warrant charging the president with raping an ex-aide and sexually assaulting three other women who had worked for him.

Katsav, whose term ends in July, has denied wrongdoing and vowed to resign if Mazuz indicts him. Under Israeli law, a sitting president cannot be charged in court.

A Justice Ministry spokesman said Mazuz held a special hearing with Katsav's lawyers today ahead of a final decision on the case.

Katsav's lawyers were not immediately available for comment, but one of them said before the hearing that they would present Mazuz with new evidence that could dispel police allegations against the president.

''We hope that Mazuz will listen with an open mind and accept our arguments, despite all of the media frenzy that preceded the hearing,'' attorney Avi Lavi told the Maariv newspaper.

The Israeli presidency is largely ceremonial, so the case against Katsav would not have direct political repercussions.

The president could receive a maximum 18-year prison sentence if convicted of rape.

Katsav's case has been overshadowed by a commission of inquiry that this week criticised the prime minister and defence minister for their handling of the war in Lebanon last year.

But the investigation against Katsav has also stoked public criticism of the government by a society that, opinion polls indicate, has become fed up with high-level corruption and incompetence.

REUTERS RS RAI2045