FORMER ISRAELI prime minister Ehud Olmert has been charged with taking bribes in Israel’s biggest ever corruption scandal.
Mr Olmert, who was indicted yesterday in the Tel Aviv district court along with 17 other suspects, denies any wrongdoing.
The Holyland affair, first revealed two years ago, covers alleged bribes connected to a number of construction projects, but centres on the Holyland residential towers built on a hill overlooking much of southern Jerusalem.
Mr Olmert was alleged to have received kickbacks in order to further the project when he was mayor of Jerusalem between 1993 and 2003, and later as trade minister with control of the Israel Lands Authority, before he became prime minister.
The 83-page indictment lists payments of millions of euros to Mr Olmert, Uri Lupolianski, who replaced him as mayor, and other officials.
In return for the bribes, city planners rezoned the project (originally designated for a hotel), expedited construction, ignored opposition to the plan and lowered taxes.
According to the charge sheet some of the money was transferred to Yossi Olmert, Ehud’s brother, who fled the country after getting into debt.
Mr Olmert, who stepped down as prime minister in 2008 to fight a number of corruption charges, is already standing trial on separate allegations of accepting illegal donations from a American Jewish backer, and double-billing charities for travel costs when fund-raising abroad.
His communications director said the indictment was “scandalous and based on pure fiction,” and an attempt to influence the current court case. “Mr Olmert has stated in the clearest of terms he never accepted bribes,” his statement said.
Mr Olmert’s lawyers claimed the Holyland case was based on allegations by a dubious state witness, a middleman identified as “S”, who paid the bribes. Mr Olmert allegedly told police Mr “S” was an “abominable liar.”
* IN Aseparate development yesterday, defence minister Ehud Barak received the recommendations of a panel headed by former Supreme Court president Meir Shamgar on how Israel should handle potential future abductions of soldiers by militant groups.