Former PM Olmert convicted of fraud and breach of trust in Talansky case

Today (Monday) the district court ruled again in the Talansky affair, which also gained the nickname "the money envelopes affair": former Prime Minister Olmert was convicted of fraud and breach of trust from which he was acquitted in 2012. The claims of sentencing will take place on May 5.

Seven and a half years after the resignation of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, from his position following an earlier evidence procedure of American businessman Morris Talansky - Jerusalem District Court ruled today in the renewed hearing in the affair named after the prior testimony.

As mentioned, during the first trial the former Prime Minister was accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars illegally from a Jewish-American businessman Morris Talansky when he served as mayor of Jerusalem and minister of industry. In return, Olmert allegedly helped Talansky in contacts with business executives in real estate, with contrasting interests. Olmert was indicted, and 2012 the district court acquitted him of the charge of breach of trust and fraud in aggravated circumstances.

The Supreme Court decided last August to return the hearing of the case to the Jerusalem District Court courtroom, after achieving a plea agreement with Olmert's former secretary, Shula Zaken, an agreement for which Zaken served her only 11 months in prison (one-third reduction) in respect of taking bribery in the Holyland case.

Zaken provided the State Attorney's Office with tapes which were embarrassing for Olmert and the ability to present her diaries as evidence, which were before the prosecutor's office, but had no weight in the absence of "a submitting witness" until the signing of the plea agreement. This is because Zaken kept silent in the first Talansky case.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!