Former President Moshe Katsav will receive a verdict in his rape trial on December 28, more than a year after the proceedings began, Haaretz learned on Thursday.

Open gallery view Former president Moshe Katsav with his lawyers. Credit: Moti Kimche

Katsav is charged with raping a former employee while serving as tourism minister, sexually assaulting two others as president, and obstructing justice. He has denied all the charges.

One rape allegedly took place in the minister's office in Tel Aviv and the other at a hotel in Jerusalem. Katsav will also be charged with forcible indecent assault against A. and abusing the employer-employee relationship.

When the trial first opened about a year ago, the judges said it would be closed to the press, but they would allow publication of any testimony that did not infringe on the complainants' privacy. In practice, however, they released the testimony of exactly one witness - attorney Raz Nizri, an aide to then-attorney general Menachem Mazuz, who described the prosecution's internal debate over whether to indict Katsav, and if so, on what charges.

Other than that, nothing has been released except parts of both sides' opening statements - and, yesterday, parts of their closing statements as well. As a result, nothing specific can be reported about either the complainants' accounts of Katsav's actions or the defense's attempts to poke holes in these accounts.