A Tel Aviv court on Monday found former premier Ehud Olmert guilty of bribery linked to a Jerusalem property development, in one of the worst corruption scandals in Israeli history.
At a lengthy hearing in Tel Aviv District Court presided over by Judge David Rosen, Olmert was convicted on two counts of bribery, making him the first former premier to be convicted of the offence.
The trial, which included 16 defendants and took place over two years, was linked to the construction of the massive Holyland residential complex when Olmert served as the city's mayor.
In 2010, Olmert was named the key suspect in the so-called Holyland affair on suspicion that he received hundreds of thousands of shekels for helping developers get the construction project past various legal and planning obstacles.
The towering construction project, which dominates the city's skyline, is seen as a major blot on the landscape and widely reviled as a symbol of high-level corruption.
"We're talking about corrupt and filthy practices," Judge Rosen said in the 700-page verdict which branded Olmert as a liar.
Olmert reportedly sat expressionless throughout the verdict as the judge spoke at length of a "corrupt political system which has decayed over the years... and in which hundreds of thousands of shekels were transferred to elected officials".
According to the verdict, excerpts of which were seen by AFP, Olmert personally received bribes to the tune of 560,000 shekels ($160,000/116,000 euros at the current exchange rate), most of which was given to his brother Yossi by a middleman who later turned state's witness.
"The state 's witness bought (Olmert's) 'services' at a price of 500,000 shekels which was transferred to him through his brother," it said of the main sum, saying the transfer involved eight post-dated cheques of between 50,000 and 80,000 shekels.
Rosen also said the 68-year-old had lied to the court in a bid to "blacken the name" of the state's witness in a verdict which found 13 of the 16 defendants guilty.
Olmert's spokesman Jacob Galanti vowed to appeal, the Haaretz news website reported.
"Possible jail sentence"
There has been no date set for the sentencing, although the court has ordered deliberations to begin on April 28 in a process which is likely to last several weeks, legal sources said.
Liat Ben Ari, one of the prosecuting lawyers, said it was "still too early" to say whether they would ask for the maximum sentence of seven years.
"Usually the punishment for bribery is prison. Obviously, we have to look at all the circumstances and the full verdict in order to reach a decision," she told public radio.
Commentators said it was possible Olmert could face a jail term.
"You are talking about a man who has already been convicted of corruption in a previous case at Jerusalem District Court," said Moshe HaNegbi, legal commentator for public radio.
"I don't see a situation, under these circumstances, where the prosecution does not ask for several years' jail time."
In July 2012, a Jerusalem court found Olmert guilty of breach of trust but cleared him on two more serious charges related to the alleged receipt of cash-stuffed envelopes and multiple billing for trips abroad.
He was fined $19,000 and given a suspended jail sentence for graft.
The Haifa-born politician was mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003, after which he served as a cabinet minister, holding the trade and industry portfolio as well as several others.
He became premier in 2006, leading the centre-right Kadima party into government, but resigned in September 2008 after police recommended that he be indicted in several graft cases.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel told AFP it was the first time a former prime minister had been convicted of bribery in a verdict which offered some hope that Israel was beginning to tackle a political culture stained by corruption.
"From the point of view of quality of government in Israel and democratic institutions, this is an extremely important case," said vice-chairman Michael Partem.
"It has implications for the quality of government and the standards by which we hold politicians accountable and transparent."
AFP
Tue Apr 01 2014
![Former Israel PM Olmert convicted of bribery Former Israel PM Olmert convicted of bribery](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2014-03/71396278246_295x200.jpg)
10 Berita Pilihan - (15 Ogos 2024)
Antara pelbagai berita dalam dan luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Pasukan PBB lawat Bangladesh, siasat pembunuhan protes pelajar
Pasukan penyiasat Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) akan melawat Bangladesh minggu depan untuk menyiasat ratusan kematian semasa protes yang diketuai pelajar baru-baru ini, menurut pegawai badan dunia itu pada Khamis.
Gempa bumi bermagnitud 5.7 gegar timur laut Taiwan
Gempa bumi berukuran 5.7 skala richter melanda daerah Timur Laut Taiwan pada Khamis.
Angka kematian di Gaza cecah 40,000 individu
Pasukan tentera Israel melakukan tiga pembunuhan beramai-ramai terhadap keluarga-keluarga di Semenanjung Gaza dalam tempoh 24 jam lepas, mengakibatkan sekurang-kurangnya 40 rakyat Palestin terbunuh dan 107 lagi cedera, menurut sumber perubatan.
Jepun tamatkan amaran gempa bumi mega
Dalam tempoh berjaga-jaga, Agensi Meteorologi Jepun tidak melihat sebarang pergerakan gempa bumi yang luar biasa atau kerak bumi.
Rakyat UK terancam dengan imigran rampas peluang pekerjaan
Bimbang golongan imigran akan merampas peluang peluang pekerjaan menjadikan rakyat United KIngdom terutamanya mereka yang mempunyai masalah ekonomi melihat imigran sebagai satu ancaman.
Parti Pheu Thai pilih anak perempuan Thaksin calon PM
Paetongtarn, 37, adalah anak perempuan kepada jutawan yang juga bekas Perdana Menteri Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Pemilihan anak Thaksin sebagai PM Thailand dianggap tidak efektif
Pemilihan anak perempuan bekas Perdana Menteri Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, untuk menggantikan Srettha Thavisin sebagai Perdana Menteri negara itu dianggap sebagai tidak efektif.
![Angka kematian di seluruh Semenanjung Gaza meningkat kepada 40,005, lebih 92,401 cedera Angka kematian di seluruh Semenanjung Gaza meningkat kepada 40,005, lebih 92,401 cedera](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/81723343252_Palestiniansmourn.jpg)
Angka kematian di seluruh Semenanjung Gaza meningkat kepada 40,005, lebih 92,401 cedera
Perkhidmatan kecemasan masih tidak dapat membantu ramai mangsa dan membawa keluar mayat yang terperangkap di bawah runtuhan.
DNA mangsa kebakaran di Pagoh diperoleh, jenazah dijangka dikebumikan esok
Polis mengesahkan telah menerima laporan ujian asid deoksiribonukleik (DNA) dua mayat mangsa yang rentung dalam kebakaran rumah di Kampung Paya Redan, Pagoh, Johor Jumaat lepas.