Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert was yesterday sentenced to six years in jail for taking bribes in a massive real-estate deal, a crime the judge said was akin to treason.
The first criminal conviction of a former Israeli head of state all but ended speculation that Olmert — a centrist credited internationally with working toward a peace settlement with the Palestinians — might return to political life.
Olmert denied any wrongdoing in the property deal that took place while he was mayor of Jerusalem.
Photo: Reuters
“A public servant who takes bribes is akin to a traitor,” Judge David Rozen of the Tel Aviv District Court said in passing sentence. “[Olmert] is a criminal who devoted most of his time to praise-worthy public service, [but] he also lined his own pockets.”
Rozen ordered Olmert to report to prison on Sept. 1, effectively giving his lawyers time to lodge a planned appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court and a request that the ex-prime minister remain free until it hands down a ruling.
Two years ago, the veteran Israeli politician was acquitted of most of the major charges brought against him in separate cases involving his links to a US businessman.
Those corruption allegations forced Olmert’s resignation as prime minister in 2008 and his acquittal had appeared to position him for a possible political comeback, but in the verdict of the new corruption trial on March 31, Rozen found Olmert guilty of two bribery charges.
The judge said Olmert accepted 500,000 shekels (US$144,000) from developers of the Holyland apartment building complex in Jerusalem and 60,000 shekels in a separate real-estate project. Rozen yesterday granted the prosecution’s request for a six-year jail term.
Olmert was among 13 defendants in the Holyland case, which focused on the construction of a hulking, hilltop housing project widely seen as Jerusalem’s worst eyesore.
Sentences handed down yesterday against six of the other accused ranged from three to seven years.
Olmert has made several criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies toward the Palestinians, fueling talk about his future political ambitions, but in sentencing Olmert, the judge said his crimes entailed “moral turpitude,” which under Israeli law would preclude him from running for any public office for seven years after finishing his jail term.
A lawyer by profession, Olmert began his political career in the 1970s as a legislator targeting organized crime. He served as Jerusalem mayor from 1993 to 2003 and as prime minister from 2006 to 2009, staying in office in a caretaker capacity until after an election brought right-winger Netanyahu to power.
As prime minister, Olmert waged war against militants in Lebanon in 2006 and the Gaza Strip in 2008.
He claimed significant progress in peace talks with Palestine, offering an Israeli withdrawal from much of the occupied West Bank, but no agreement was reached.
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