No one above the law?

Two convictions, one out of Russia, the other out of Israel, indicate how the mighty can fall in a court of law... but perhaps for two different reasons.

In Jerusalem, Former President Moshe Katsav has been convicted of raping one of his staffers and sexually harassing two other women. The most serious case ever brought against a high ranking Israeli official, it drove Katsav from office in 2007. Reportedly, Katsav at one stage in the criminal justice process agreed to a plea agreement but later backed out. He contended he would prove his innocence in open court. But in the end the trial judge called his version of events "unserious" and "riddled with lies." Rape convictions in Israel are said to typically carry sentences of four to 16 years.

Katsav In Sex Case.(Moshe Katsav): An article from: APS Diplomat News Service

Justice?: Military Court System in the Israeli Occupied Territories
Meanwhile, in the late, great Evil Empire, Russia's one-time richest man got an additional seven years tacked onto his current 8-year sentence. Many jurists believe that Mikhail Khodorkovsky was framed by Vladimir Putin in reprisal for challenging Putin's power. This time around, the ex-billionaire was found guilty of embezzlement and money-laudering. Reportedly, he'll be in the pokey until 2017.