Second investigation into Olmert's crooked practices launched
It's about time. And I hope it'll yield some very telling results about what kind of a crook Olmert is.(IsraelNN.com) Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has instructed the police to launch a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert regarding his purchase of a private home on Cremieux Street in Jerusalem when he was Mayor of Jerusalem in October 2004. Olmert is suspected of receiving a hefty discount on the apartment's purchase price from the contractor, Alumot, in return for his acting to speed up the approval of construction permits for the project.
The affair was initially exposed by investigative website NFC, which filed formal complaints against Olmert with the State Comptroller and the AG in February of 2006. The discount Olmert received in the apartment's purchase is suspected to have totaled about $500,000 (according the the Comptroller, he paid $1.2 million but the home's true value was about $1.7 million).
In April of 2007, the Comptroller presented the results of his inquiry to the AG, leaving it to the AG to decide whether to call for a comprehensive police investigation.
After going over the material, the AG asked that the value of the apartment be assessed and compared with Olmert's and Alumot's contentions regarding its worth.
After several consultations with members of the state prosecution staff, Mazuz decided to give the go-ahead for a police investigation. The results of the initial phase of the police investigation will be presented to the AG and Chief Prosecutor for evaluation.
Labels: political corruption
