Former Israeli premier Olmert found guilty in bribery case

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Former Israeli premier Olmert found guilty in bribery case
DANIEL ESTRIN, Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was found guilty Monday of accepting bribes in a retrial of corruption charges, the latest chapter in the downfall of a man who only years earlier hoped to lead the country to a historic peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Olmert's lawyers said they would likely appeal the ruling by the Jerusalem District Court. He'll be sentenced at a later court hearing.

Olmert was acquitted in 2012 of a series of charges that included accepting cash-stuffed envelopes containing hundreds of thousands of dollars from U.S. businessman Morris Talansky before Olmert became prime minister. The verdict was seen as a major victory for Olmert.

But Olmert's former office manager and confidant Shula Zaken later became a state's witness, offering tape recordings of conversations with Olmert about illicitly receiving cash, leading to a retrial.

A panel of judges at the Jerusalem District Court found that Olmert had accepted Talansky's money as a personal bribe without reporting it, calling it a "serious conflict of interest." The judges ruled that an Olmert aide kept the money hidden in a safe.

Olmert's lawyer, Eyal Rozovsky, said Olmert's legal team was "of course very disappointed from the ruling" and said his lawyers would review it and likely appeal.

Olmert has claimed he was on the brink of a historic agreement with the Palestinians when he was forced to resign in early 2009 amid corruption allegations. His departure cleared the way for hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu's election. Peace efforts have been at a standstill ever since.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-03-30

[DaddyWarbucks]

What was US businessman Morris Talansky expecting to get in return for the "...cash-stuffed envelopes containing hundreds of thousands of dollars..." ?

Has that ever been looked into?

[Thorgal]

New season start of Game of Thrones ?

[Ocicat]

Interesting to see that corruption occurs in countries other than Thailand!

[ezzra]

Unfortunately, corruption, greed and lust is everywhere and Israel is no exception, but in Israel they throw your ass in jail, they have several ministers there and a president, why not a PM?

[Seastallion]

"Olmert has claimed he was on the brink of a historic agreement with the Palestinians when he was forced to resign in early 2009 amid corruption allegations. His departure cleared the way for hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu's election. Peace efforts have been at a standstill ever since."

In light of recent words and actions by Netanyahu, and in conjunction with the known Zionist goal, some people should be forgiven for wondering just how much of a set-up it was.

The former aide turning against Olmert is another thing to ponder.

I know those thoughts were aired at the time, but with Netanyahu's stance as it is now, one has to wonder. Wasn't it 2009 that he made that speech about 2 states that he has recently back-tracked on? It's looking more like he made that speech simply to allay fears of the setup.