Olmert cleared of graft charges
Source: Agencies |
July 11, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AN Israeli court cleared former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday of the central charges in a multi-case corruption trial that forced him from power, but convicted him of a lesser charge of breach of trust.
The verdict was seen as a major victory for Olmert, who stepped down as prime minister for the centrist Kadima party in 2009 to battle allegations that included accepting cash-stuffed envelopes from a supporter and pocketing the proceeds from a double-billing scam on overseas travel.
His conviction on the lesser charge of "breach of trust" made him the first Israeli prime minister ever convicted of a crime, and his legal troubles are far from over. He will be sentenced on September 6 and is currently standing trial in a separate real estate bribery case.
Olmert, 66, appeared calm and relieved as the verdict was delivered in the Jerusalem court. As he left the courtroom, the former prime minister had a wide smile on his face and kissed defense lawyers and advisers.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Olmert proudly declared his innocence. "There was no corruption. There was no taking of money. There was no use of money. There were no cash envelopes," Olmert said. He said the lone conviction was merely a "procedural lapse."
The verdict, which capped a two-year trial, covered three separate allegations: illegally accepting funds from an American supporter, double-billing Jewish groups for trips abroad and channeling state grants to companies linked to a close friend. He was acquitted in the first two cases and found guilty in the last.
The charges were filed after Olmert became prime minister in 2006, but stemmed from his time as mayor of Jerusalem and later as a Cabinet minister.
After he was indicted in 2008, he announced his resignation, remaining as prime minister until February 2009 elections that brought the current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, into office.
The verdict was seen as a major victory for Olmert, who stepped down as prime minister for the centrist Kadima party in 2009 to battle allegations that included accepting cash-stuffed envelopes from a supporter and pocketing the proceeds from a double-billing scam on overseas travel.
His conviction on the lesser charge of "breach of trust" made him the first Israeli prime minister ever convicted of a crime, and his legal troubles are far from over. He will be sentenced on September 6 and is currently standing trial in a separate real estate bribery case.
Olmert, 66, appeared calm and relieved as the verdict was delivered in the Jerusalem court. As he left the courtroom, the former prime minister had a wide smile on his face and kissed defense lawyers and advisers.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Olmert proudly declared his innocence. "There was no corruption. There was no taking of money. There was no use of money. There were no cash envelopes," Olmert said. He said the lone conviction was merely a "procedural lapse."
The verdict, which capped a two-year trial, covered three separate allegations: illegally accepting funds from an American supporter, double-billing Jewish groups for trips abroad and channeling state grants to companies linked to a close friend. He was acquitted in the first two cases and found guilty in the last.
The charges were filed after Olmert became prime minister in 2006, but stemmed from his time as mayor of Jerusalem and later as a Cabinet minister.
After he was indicted in 2008, he announced his resignation, remaining as prime minister until February 2009 elections that brought the current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, into office.
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