Israel's ex-PM Olmert charged with fraud

[MikeWB]

Israel's ex-PM Olmert charged with fraud
By Vita Bekker in Tel Aviv
Published: August 30 2009 21:52 | Last updated: August 30 2009 22:59
Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister, was indicted on Sunday on corruption charges that led to his resignation from the premiership last year and appear likely to end his three-decade political career.

The 61-page indictment marked the first time a sitting or retired Israeli premier faced criminal charges.

The formal charges against Mr Olmert include fraud, breach of trust, falsifying corporate documents and failure to report income, according to a statement released by the justice ministry. The statement did not provide details on when a trial is scheduled to begin or what penalties the former premier might face.

Mr Olmert, a 63-year-old lawyer by training, has denied any wrongdoing in the cases, which date from his terms as mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003 and as minister of industry and trade from 2003 to 2006.

The indictment stems from several separate probes, including into allegations that Mr Olmert illegally accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Jewish American businessman and double-billed non-profit groups and the government for official travel abroad while pocketing the difference.

A spokesman for Mr Olmert released a statement saying: "Olmert is convinced that in court he will be able to prove his innocence once and for all."

The veteran politician, who was elected prime minister in 2006, was forced to step down from the post in September 2008 amid the corruption allegations. Mr Olmert remained in office as caretaker until March 2009, when he was replaced by Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the rightwing Likud party, after elections in February.

The indictment against Mr Olmert is the latest in a string of cases involving corruption and other allegations against senior Israeli public officials. The officials include Avraham Hirschson, Mr Olmert's former finance minister, who was convicted in June of embezzling about $500,000, and Moshe Katsav, the former Israeli president, who is being tried on allegations of rape and other sexual offences.

The indictment may signal an end to the political career of Mr Olmert, who was first elected to Israel's parliament in 1973 at the age of 28. He took over the premiership in January 2006 after Ariel Sharon suffered a debilitating stroke. In March of that year Mr Olmert led the centrist Kadima party, which he helped found, to victory in a parliamentary election.

As prime minister Mr Olmert led more than a year of peace negotiations with the Palestinians that were started at the US-backed Annapolis summit in November 2007 but which showed little tangible results. His popularity had plummeted amid corruption scandals and accusations that he mishandled the country's 34-day war in 2006 against the Lebanese Shia group Hizbollah.