Olmert’s ‘last chance’ to save his future

Mr Olmert agreed to hold leadership primaries in Kadima in September but still maintains that he will resign only if indicted. Of the four Kadima ministers who are planning to run for the party’s leadership, only Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter has publicly called upon Mr Olmert to resign. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the current frontrunner in the polls, has said so privately on a number of occasions.

Arriving in Israel, Mr Talansky told reporters not to “expect any big drama, I am just coming to tell my story”.

Meanwhile, two new cases of alleged corruption have come to light. On Friday, police investigators questioned Mr Olmert for the third time and surprised him by bringing up details of one of the new cases. They suspect him of raking off $100,000 (£50,000) from payments transferred by various private organisations that invited him to give talks outside Israel. Police suspect that Mr Olmert had different organisations pay simultaneously for plane tickets and hotel costs, thereby accumulating a secret fund that financed family trips. Mr Olmert’s lawyers have countered that the family trips were paid for with frequent-flyer miles.

Another case is of an alleged loan of $75,000 (£37,500) that Mr Olmert received in 1993 from Jewish-American millionaire Joe Almaliach and allegedly failed to return.