By Joel C. RosenbergFormer Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been indicted on “multiple corruption charges including fraud, breach of trust, falsifying corporate records, receiving illicit benefits and tax evasion.” The indictment of a former premier is “a first of its kind,” reports Ynet.
According to the Washington Post:
“Prosecutors alleged that Olmert, as mayor of Jerusalem in the 1990s and later as trade minister, profited from a double-billing scheme in which he charged charities and the government for trips and expenses already paid by other organizations. About $90,000 collected for trips — often to the United States and sponsored by major Jewish groups — was allegedly accumulated in his account at a travel agency and then used for personal vacations and other expenses, according to the indictment. His former office manager, Shula Zaken, 52, also was indicted in the case. The 61-page indictment includes charges related to Olmert’s acceptance of as much as $150,000 from New York businessman Morris Talansky — funds that Talansky testified last summer were meant for Olmert’s political campaigns but that he believed were used for personal purposes.”
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