Report: Olmert to be probed over 3 affairs

[Scurrilous]

Channel 10 reports Attorney General Mazuz plans to instruct Israel Police to launch investigation against prime minister over illicit affairs he is allegedly connected to, including selling of Bank Leumi shares, purchase of Jerusalem apartment, illegal political appointments

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3350441,00.html

<snip>

"Channel 10 reported Tuesday evening that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz plans to instruct Israel Police to launch an investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over three affairs he is allegedly connected to.

According to the report, the decision to open a criminal investigation was made during the investigation of alleged criminal conduct in the selling of Bank Leumi's majority shares.

Reports said that the prime minister, along with additional parties, allegedly committed criminal bribery offenses during the sale of the bank's shares in 2005. The allegations claim that Olmert, who was Minister of Finance at the time, apparently broke the law for two of his friends – Daniel Abrams and Frank Louie – with whom he conducted, directly and indirectly, a relationship which allegedly involved bribe.

State Comptroller Justice Micha Lindenstrauss investigated the case and transferred his findings to Mazuz.

The second affair involves the prime minister's alleged illegal political appointments in the Israel Small and Medium Enterprises Authority during his tenure as minister of industry, commerce, and labor.

The other allegations pertain to Olmert’s association with his confidante Attorney Uri Messer, who was a partner in the prime minister’s law firm until 1988."

[Howardx]

1. are these considered major scandals

in israel?

[Scurrilous]

2. From what I've read...

...the first scandal mentioned is more serious than the latter two.

If criminal charges are filed, I'd say it was pretty major deal.


Scandals threaten Olmert’s term, shake Israelis’ faith in government

http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=17461&intcategoryid=1

[Howardx]

4. thanks

im not up on israel's internal politics the way some here are so i thought i would ask.

[MADem]

3. OK, my head was clearly not going in THAT direction!

Here I'm thinking "Wow, power can get an ugly sumbitch damn near anything--THREE affairs!!! Wonder if the ladies were good looking, and he didn't have to ATTACK and assault them like his fellow politician, the President?"

Given the President of Israel has serious legal problems (about to be charged with rape and other sexual offenses) with several ladies working for him, I thought perhaps there might be something in the water or something...but I see that I misconstrued the use of the word 'affair.'

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1879412.ece

Israel's President Moshe Katsav cancelled his scheduled appearance at the opening of the Knesset yesterday in the wake of a police report recommending his indictment for rape and other sexual offences, along with a string of other charges.

Mr Katsav spared himself the embarrassment of planned walk-outs and protests by members of parliament by staying away from the ceremony. His decision followed an even heavier than expected list of alleged offences, including two cases in which female former employees in his office say they were raped by Mr Katsav, once during his presidency and once when he was Tourism Minister in the late Nineties.

The police have also recommended his prosecution on hitherto unexpected charges of using public funds to purchase gifts for members of his wife's family and personal friends. The charges are also understood to include ones of illegally bugging the telephone conversations of employees and interference with witnesses.

Mr Katsav, who defeated the former prime minister Shimon Peres for the presidency six years ago despite his reputation as a colourless apparatchik in the right-wing Likud party, could delay any indictment by insisting on remaining in office for the remaining nine months of his term, provided 90 Knesset members do not vote to impeach him.

But his lawyer, Tzion Amir, hinted that he would resign or suspend himself if indicted, telling the Ynet news service that the President would "apparently draw the conclusions" if the Attorney General, Menachem Mazuz, decides in favour of an indictment after receiving the report of the Jerusalem district attorney's office.

[Scurrilous]

5. Justice source: Olmert should suspend himself if investigated

Pursuant to Channel 10 report that Attorney General Mazuz plans to investigate Olmert affairs, justice source says Olmert has public and legal obligation to resign upon becoming focus of police investigation

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3350441,00.html

<snip>

"A senior justice official said Wednesday that "if a criminal investigation is launched against (Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert, on suspicion of wrongdoing, he should to suspend himself from his post."

Pursuant to a report of an imminent police indictment against the prime minister, more than one justice source expressed this opinion, often disagreeing on the legal obligation of such a suspension, but agreeing on the public obligation.

Tuesday, Israel's Channel 10 reported that that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz plans to instruct Israel Police to launch an investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over three affairs he is allegedly connected to.

The investigation is expected to begin upon the prime minister's return from his trip to China.

The justice source told Ynet that, both from a public and legal perspective, Olmert has no choice but to suspend himself from duty. This is in accordance with the philosophy that the head of a government authority related to law enforcement, such as Justice Minister or Internal Security Minister, cannot serve while being investigated."

[Scurrilous]

6. Survey: 84 percent of Israelis think their leadership is corrupt

<snip>

"According to a Dahaf Institute survey, 84 percent of Israelis don't believe their political leaders are corruption free, and 52 percent believe that all Israeli political party leaders are tainted by corruption.

The survey, conducted among 300 people, also revealed that 85 percent of the public believes that corruption characterizes Israeli politicians, while nine percent believe that good ethics characterize the leadership.

94 percent of public believes that corruption weakens the state, while 6 percent believe that corruption is harmless.

71 percent of those polled said that the corruption of the leadership leads to corruption in the general public.

Seven percent of those surveyed believe that the leadership of the National Religious Party is not corrupt. A similar percentage believes that the leadership of Meretz is untainted."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/812010.html

[PCIntern]

8. Here's a question:

What percentage of Americans feel their leadership is corrupt?
Ditto, British, French, Swedish, Russian, Egyptian, Iranian, Iraqi(!), Jordanian, Brazilian...

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Answer: Don't know. This is the I/P forum, not the Rest Of The World forum...n/t

[geek tragedy]

7. Corrupt and stupid. He must be a Republican. eom