Police questioned Moshe Katsav, the Israeli President, today over allegations of sexual harassment and corruption, including an accusation that he coerced a former female employee into having sex with him.

Israeli news reports suggested that police have already gathered enough evidence to indict Mr Katsav, which could force his resignation even though he has immunity from prosecution during his seven-year term. If so, he would be the second consecutive Israeli head of state to be forced from office by scandal.

The interrogation at Mr Katsav's official residence in Jerusalem came two days after police seized computers and documents in a late-night raid on the building.

"I can confirm that the investigators are there at the President’s residence," said police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld. He said that the questioning could last for a couple of hours.

The probe focuses on accusations by two former female employees who have told police that Mr Katsav harassed them. One of the women has also reportedly accused Katsav of receiving money for granting pardons - one of the few authorities vested in the president, who has a largely ceremonial role. Mr Katsav has denied wrongdoing.

The probe is the latest in a string of investigations involving top Israeli officials. Haim Ramon, the Justice Minister, resigned on Sunday after Menachem Mazuz, the Attorney-General, said that he would indict him over allegedly forcing a kiss on a government employee.

Israel’s top government watchdog is also examining the terms of the purchase by Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister, of a $1.2 million flat in Jerusalem in 2004. Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz, the army chief, has also been criticised for selling his stock portfolio hours after Hezbollah gunmen kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12 that triggered the Lebanon war.

A former leader of the opposition right-wing Likud party, Mr Katsav, 61, was elected president in 2000 as the first conservative head of state in Israel.

The probe began after Mr Katsav complained to Mr Mazuz about a woman who was allegedly blackmailing him for money and a job with the threat of filing sexual harassment charges.

Mr Mazuz ordered a preliminary investigation and, according to the daily Maariv, police have already gathered enough evidence to indict Mr Katsav. One woman, a former senior employee in Katsav’s office, has testified to being coerced into sex with the President after he hinted she would otherwise lose her job and was reported to have passed a lie-detector test.

Although the political repercussions of the scandal would be limited by the ceremonial nature of his post, Mr Katsav could still be toppled. His predecessor, the late Ezer Weizman, resigned after revelations that he received around $450,000 dollars in "gifts" from the French businessman Edouard Saroussi in the 1980s.

A request by 20 MPs could see Mr Katsav summoned before a parliamentary commission where a three-quarters majority could lead to a hearing before the full parliament. A vote by 90 of the 120 MPs could then force his resignation.

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