A former Israeli justice minister on Wednesday said ex-President Moshe Katsav should be pardoned to spare Israelis the sight of a former head of state serving jail time.

Katsav’s conviction last week has riveted the nation, with nearly unanimous scorn for the disgraced politician and wall-to-wall praise for the legal system that proved itself egalitarian by bringing him to justice.

But some voices are starting to emerge questioning the sweeping verdict — saying the judges essentially dismissed Katsav’s denials and chose to believe the complainant’s version — and asking what kind of punishment is appropriate for the country’s former head of state.

Yossi Beilin, a former justice minister who once led the dovish Meretz Party, said Katsav’s public humiliation was enough of a punishment and would serve as a powerful deterrent to other officials. He said it was not in the public interest to see a former symbol of the state behind bars.

“He obviously deserves a heavy punishment, but the question is whether we also deserve that punishment when the country is being portrayed all over the world as a country whose president is like this,” Beilin told Israel’s Army Radio.

“I think the real punishment for Moshe Katsav is not to be separated from society but rather to remain on his street, to look into the eyes of those close to him, to look into the eyes of his grandchildren and to know that everyone knows the truth.”

Last week, a Tel Aviv court convicted the former president on multiple counts of immoral behavior, and said his testimony was riddled with lies. He faces between four to 16 years in prison for the offenses.