Israel's Supreme Court has ordered former President Moshe Katsav to spend seven years in prison after rejecting the disgraced politician's appeal of a rape conviction and other sex crimes

The unanimous decision of the three-judge panel capped a long and sordid chapter in Israeli politics that captured the country's attention for more than five years and ended with Katsav becoming the highest-ranking Israeli official ever sentenced to prison. Katsav, 65, was convicted in December 2010 of raping a former employee when he was a Cabinet minister and of sexually harassing two other women during his term as president from 2000 to 2007. He received a seven-year prison sentence in March 2011, but was allowed to stay out of jail pending his appeal. Katsav's conviction was a stunning fall from grace for a man who rose from humble beginnings to become a symbol of success for Mizrahi Jews, those of Middle Eastern descent who for decades were an underclass in Israel. The country's elite has long been dominated by Jews of European origin. In one of the more bizarre moments in the case, Katsav accused prosecutors and the media of plotting his demise and accused them of being out to destroy him because he didn't belong to the European-descended elite. In recent years, Israel has seen a former finance minister sent to prison for embezzling funds and a justice minister convicted of forcibly kissing a female soldier. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was forced to resign to face corruption charges.