Israeli president grilled on sex allegations

JERUSALEM: Israeli President Moshe Katsav was grilled by police on Wednesday for a fifth time over allegations of sexual harassment in a mounting scandal that threatens to end his career.            

Katsav was questioned by police investigators for five hours at his Jerusalem residence, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.       

He did not say whether the questioning would continue later in the day.    

The 61-year-old Iranian-born head of state was last week grilled on two consecutive days by police, following two earlier sessions in August.          

The married father of five faces allegations that he forced at least two women employees to have sex with him by abusing his position of authority and suspicions that his office granted illegal pardons to prisoners.      

Katsav, who could yet be forced to resign, has denied the allegations against him and rejected calls that he step down pending the investigation.             

A parliamentary committee on Wednesday agreed to accept a request from Katsav that his duties be suspended for a day on Thursday so that he would not have to preside over the swearing-in of nation's first female head of the supreme court.              

"In this way, President Katsav wants to avoid any controversy that his presence can create in current circumstances," his spokeswoman Hagit Cohen said on Sunday.       

The Katsav scandal is the latest blow to hit Israel's leadership, with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government steering its way through public anger over failings of its 34-day war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.