Israeli President Moshe Katsav faces an indictment on charges of rape and abuse of power, according to the Associated Press.
Katsav, who serves as Israel's ceremonial head of state, is alleged to have forced himself on female employees. The scandal came to light last summer after one of Katsav's female employees alleged that he had forced her to have sex. Several former female employees soon came forward with similar allegations, according to the AP.
Although Katsav maintained his innocence and had not been formally indicted as of Tuesday, some Israeli citizens felt the scandal had badly tarnished the Israeli presidency, according to the AP.
"He should be the symbol of Israel, the uniting person and an ideal model for all the politicians," Gabriel Sheffer, a political science professor at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, said. "So this is a bad sign for Israeli politics."
If Katsav is charged and convicted, he could face over 20 years in prison, according to the AP.
