Prosecutor orders criminal probe of Israel's Olmert

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Israel's state prosecutor ordered a criminal investigation on Tuesday into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's role in the 2005 privatization of Israel's second largest bank, the Justice Ministry said in a statement.

"The state prosecutor (Eran Shendar) has ordered the opening of a criminal investigation," the statement said.

An official in Olmert's office said: "The prime minister will fully cooperate with any investigation."

Israel Radio quoted an aide to Olmert urging police to act swiftly to "remove the unnecessary cloud" over him.

A leading member of the opposition right-wing Likud Party -- Yuval Steinitz -- called for the prime minister to step down and for a new election to be held.

Lawmaker Ran Cohen, a member of the left-wing Meretz Party, told Israel Radio: "This is the beginning of the end for Olmert."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070116/ts_nm/israel_olmert_dc

[pennylane100]

1. Wow, Isreali politicians are as corrupt as ours.

Is he in the same party of Sharon.

[Poll_Blind]

2. Yes. Sharon was also corrupt. Of course, the same charge could be...

...levied against the Israeli political system and Israeli culture in general.

At least according to this poll, about twice as corrupt as the U.S. or Britain.

PB

[Scurrilous]

3. A chain of investigations / Slow torture for Olmert

<snip>

"If the state prosecution is to be believed, this is only the beginning; the investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the Bank Leumi sale affair is a harbinger of things to come. Later on, the prosecution will decide on other investigations, like that of the Investment Center and the Small Business Authority. Investigation after investigation, blow after blow, drop after drop - just like Chinese water torture. That's what Olmert can expect from the prosecution in the next few months.

Every job Olmert had in the last few years carries with it its own scandal, its own investigation. His current position has also given rise to a kind of scandal - the second Lebanon war, which is now being investigated by the Winograd Committee.

Olmert is experienced, tough and level-headed, but even his diminishing number of admirers wonder how a person who has one of the most pressured jobs in the world can continue to function while being buried up to the neck in criminal probes. Does he have enough intellectual and emotional availability to cope with the Iranian threat, with the problem of Hamas in Gaza, with Hezbollah's renewed strength in the north? The wonder at his stamina is compounded when his political problems are added to this list, such as the destruction of his party and his personal drop in the polls."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/814329.html


PM under investigation for rigging Leumi tender, police interrogation soon

<snip>

"In the Leumi case, Olmert is suspected of having tried to throw the tender to his friend, Australian real estate magnate Frank Lowy. The tender for the bank's privatization was published in November 2005, four months after Olmert replaced Benjamin Netanyahu at the treasury. During that time, Olmert demanded various changes to the tender, which he explained were aimed at encouraging strategic, rather than merely financial, investors to bid. However, law enforcement officials suspect that the changes were meant to help Lowy.

In the end, however, Lowy withdrew from the tender shortly before it closed.

The suspicions against Olmert first emerged during an audit of the sale by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss. The comptroller heard testimony from Accountant General Yaron Zelekha and other officials in Zelekha's office. After finishing his audit, Lindenstrauss transferred the material to Mazuz, who then asked the police to conduct "preliminary inquiries" into the matter. According to Shendar, this included questioning some additional people involved in the sale, aside from those who spoke with Lindenstrauss. Based on these findings, Shendar decided yesterday to launch a criminal probe.

"The results of the preliminary inquiries led to the conclusion that the evidentiary infrastructure justified opening a criminal investigation," the Justice Ministry said in a statement.

One bit of evidence reportedly gathered by the police is a document listing changes in the terms of the tender, which Lowy allegedly read aloud at a meeting with Leumi officials. Olmert allegedly used this same document while demanding that treasury officials change the tender."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/814334.html

[Scurrilous]

4. Olmert has month to respond to report on J'lem real estate deal

<snip>

"Prime Minister Ehud Olmert must respond to State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss's draft report on the purchase of Olmert's Jerusalem home by the end of February 2007.

Lindenstrauss over the weekend submitted the draft report reviewing the purchase of the Cremieux Street garden apartment to Olmert and to several high-ranking officials in Jerusalem's city hall, who were also asked to deliver their responses by the end of February.

About a year ago, investigative reporter Yoav Itzhak revealed that Olmert purchased the home for $1.2 million, a price that Itzhak claimed was $320,000 lower that the market value of the apartment.

Olmert served as mayor of Jerusalem between 1993 and 2003, and is suspected of foul play in arranging permits for the building.

The apartment in question is part of a templar building designated for preservation, and according to the suspicions, Olmert's associates helped the construction firm that refurbished the home on Cremieux Street in gaining irregular permits from the Jerusalem Municipality, which significantly increased the company's profits in the project. More specifically, the approved area for construction at the site was 350 square meters and the permits increased it to 750 square meters."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/821672.html