Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's opponents
demanded Friday the premier step down over suspicions that hundreds
of thousands of dollars he received over many years from a US
businessman were bribes.
Ending a week of wild speculation, an Israeli court late Thursday
partially removed a gag order imposed on a new police investigation
against Olmert, as part of which he was first questioned last Friday.
In an impromptu news conference in Jerusalem late Thursday held
almost immediately after the gag order was lifted, Olmert did not
deny that he received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Morris
Talansky, a businessman and fundraiser from Long Island, who
collected the money from unknown Jewish donors in the United States.
But the premier said the funds were all used for four different
elections campaigns - when he ran for mayor of Jerusalem in 1993 and
1998 and for the leadership of his former Likud party in 1999 and
2002.
He said he would only resign if an indictment was filed against
him.
'There was nothing wrong about the donations which were raised on
my behalf,' said Olmert, who now heads the ruling, centrist Kadima
party.
'I look into the eyes of each and every one of you and say: I have
never taken bribes. I never took a dime into my own pocket.
'I was elected by you, the citizens of Israel, to stand at the
head of the Israeli government. I have no intention of shaking off my
responsibility,' he said.
But he added: 'If the state attorney decides on an indictment
against me, I will resign from my post. I hope and believe we won't
get to that stage, but if such a decision is made, I won't need
spurring or lecturing (to resign) by anyone.'
Law enforcement officials said they expected a decision about an
indictment in several months, and said there was a 'high probability'
there would be one. They spoke to Israeli media on condition of
anonymity, because the gag order is still partially in place.
Talansky has been in Israel since April and has testified to the
police about passing the money to Olmert, who is said to have
received part of it directly, and part of it indirectly, via his
right-hand lawyer Uri Messer and office manager Shula Zaken. He is
suspected of receiving much of the money in cash, in envelopes.
Police are investigating to what extent the donations surpassed
the maximum amount allowed under Israeli law, whether Olmert did
indeed use them only for his election campaigns or whether he
pocketed it, who the donors were and whether a quid pro quo was
implied.
If indicted, Olmert could face charges ranging from illegal
election fundraising and falsifying corporate documents, to taking
bribes.
The veteran Israeli politician has faced several earlier police
investigations, including those into suspicions that, as finance
minister in late 2005, he tried to favour two business friends by
changing the terms of the tender for the privatization sale of
Israel's national Leumi Bank. That investigation was closed in
November and did not materialize into an indictment.
He has also been accused of buying his Jerusalem home in late 2004
for some 325,000 US dollars below the market price, in return for
helping the contractor obtain building permits from the Jerusalem
municipality. That probe is still ongoing.
Olmert's associates have accused 'right-wing' elements of sparking
the latest police investigation, in a bid to torpedo the revived
peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
The premier himself hinted in that direction too, when he said in
his news conference: 'These days, we are in the midst of a process
critical for Israel's future and security. ... I hope that also this
storm will pass as quickly as it was ignited.'
Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the investigation
was an 'internal Israeli matter' in which the Palestinian Authority
did 'not interfere.'
'But we closely monitor what is going on,' he said. 'Early
elections mean that the peace process will be interrupted,' he told
Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on the telephone from Cairo.
Opposition legislators of the hardline Likud, the leftist Meretz
and other factions said the suspicions and police investigation
themselves were enough to demand Olmert's immediate resignation.
Olmert is 'unfit and unworthy' to continue in his post, Limor
Livnat, of the Likud, told Israel Radio Friday.
A few members of the coalition too demanded the premier step down,
including Labour Party Chairman Eitan Cabel, who said the latest
suspicions were the 'last straw that broke the camel's back.'
But senior officials in the party, which is key to the survival of
Olmert's coalition, said they expected Labour leader and Defence
Minister Ehud Barak to stay in the government for the time being.
Zyskandar A JaimotMay 9th, 2008 - 14:53:39
POLITICS no matter in ISRAEL, RUSSIA, or AMERICA - IS A 'DISGUSTING BUSINESS'!!! In ISRAEL we have PRIME-MINISTER OLMERT accused/suspected of taking bribes. In RUSSIA 'VLAD' PUTIN has long been accused of theft, intimidation, murder in the 'new' RUSSIAN style politics. In AMERICA - HILLARY + CLINTON INC. has always been linked to ILLEGAL DONATIONS/DONORS on a regular basis - OBAMA is tagentially involved with indicted money-manipulator REZKO as well as monies from MOVEON.ORG + MEDIA MATTERS is funded/orchestrated by the convicted felon GEORGE SOROS - and JOHN McCAIN was involved with the KEATING S&L scandal and various 'improprieties' with lobbyists in the shithole that is known in WASHINGTON. IS ANYONE REALLY SURPRISED THAT 'POLITICS' + ILLEGAL MONIES ALWAYS GO HAND-IN-HAND ANYWHERE???
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