Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is to be questioned by police today (Friday) for the second time over suspicions of bribe-taking. One of the main witnesses, financier Morris Talanski, is to give preliminary evidence next week.
State Prosecutor Moshe Lador claimed in a Supreme Court hearing that Mr Olmert had received envelopes stuffed with dollars from Mr Talansky, a US citizen.
A Prime Minister under pressure: Ehud Olmert in the Knesset
The hearing was held over a petition by Mr Olmert and his former bureau chief Shula Zaken’s lawyers against the Jerusalem District Court’s decision to hold a preliminary session to hear Mr Talansky’s evidence, enabling him to return to his home in Long Island. The Supreme Court refused the petition. In further questioning, Mr Talansky said that he had given Mr Olmert money not only for funding his political campaigns, contradicting what the Prime Minister said two weeks ago. Police suspect that Mr Talansky also financed private trips by Mr Olmert to the US.
Mr Olmert’s lawyers have asked that Mr Talansky’s testimony be postponed to give them time to go over evidence collected by the police, but the Jerusalem Attorney-General office has refused, claiming that the lawyers could have picked up the material earlier. Mr Talansky is demanding to leave the country by next Monday and is expected to give his testimony on Sunday.