Criminal Investigation Against Olmert
CBNNews.com
September 25, 2007
CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - The State Prosecutor's Office opened another criminal investigation against Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Monday on bribery and related charges in the purchase of his Jerusalem residence.
The prime minister is also under criminal investigation for his role in the Bank Leumi affair. While serving as finance minister, he allegedly aided two personal friends, Australian businessman Fred Lowry and Daniel Abrams, by swaying a public tender on their behalf for core control of the bank.
In addition to these two criminal investigations, the attorney general has yet to decide on several others, one related to Olmert's role with the Small Business Authority, and several others that took place during his tenure as industry and trade minister.
'Serial Investigatee'
Labor MK Ofer Pines-Paz labeled Olmert a "serial investigatee."
Kadima Member of Knesset (MK) Marina Solodkin questioned the prime minister's ability to lead the country with so many criminal investigations pending against him.
"It is absolutely horrible that we have a prime minister with so many investigations," Solodkin said.
"It is very difficult to lead the nation at such an important and historic time and to fight Hamas when he is fighting the investigations," she said.
True to Form
While his attorneys responded to the new criminal investigation with assurances of their client's innocence, Olmert did what he does best -- shored up his coalition.
The prime minister toasted MK Amy Ayalon (Labor), who at the invitation of Labor chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak joined Olmert's government as minister without portfolio and member of the Security Cabinet.
During the Labor primaries, Ayalon called on Olmert to resign for his botched handling of the Second Lebanon War.
The prime minister met with several other MKs to ask them to fill positions of people who are resigning from the government.
Hirschson to be Indicted
Meanwhile, pending the outcome of a hearing, former Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson, a personal friend of Olmert's, will likely be indicted for fraud, embezzlement and theft.
Police allege that Hirschson siphoned some $3.5 million from the National Workers Federation and Nili, a nonprofit subsidiary of NWF, which wound up in his personal bank accounts.
In April, Hirschson took a three-month leave of absence from the finance ministry to deal with the charges. On July 1, he resigned.
Olmert assumed the role of acting finance minister until appointing Roni Bar-On to replace Hirschson.
Sources: Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post
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