BICOM

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert was convicted on further counts of illicitly receiving money, fraud and breach of trust by a the Jerusalem District Court on Monday. Yesterday’s conviction was for accepting cash from US businessman Moshe Talansky. The court had acquitted Olmert in this particular case in 2012, but reversed its decision after receiving new evidence from Olmert’s former aide Shula Zaken.

As part of a plea bargain regarding her own convictions in a separate case, Zaken provided voice recordings in which Olmert can be heard persuading Zaken not to testify in the original trial for fear he would be incriminated. The recording also proved that Olmert had lied in previous testimony, and the money had been used for personal and not political ends as he had claimed. Sentencing is due on 5 May though Olmert’s lawyers say he will appeal to the Supreme Court.

Olmert, who served as Israel’s prime minister from 2006 to 2009, has already been convicted and sentenced in the separate ‘Holyland’ case, where he accepted bribes to facilitate the development of a large commercial housing project whilst serving as Mayor of Jerusalem. Olmert has been sentenced to serve six years in jail on that charge, but his sentence is yet to begin pending an appeal. The wave of accusations of corruption forced Olmert’s resignation from the office of Prime Minister.