Tel-Chai Nation

Just today, the police paid a visit to Jerusalem's municipality:

Detectives from the National Fraud Unit raided the Jerusalem City Hall with a search warrant on Monday afternoon, seeking documents dating back to Olmert's two terms as mayor of the capital from 1993 to 2003, during which he is suspected of illegally receiving funds from New York financer Morris Talansky.

"The search is linked to the time that Olmert worked in the municipality, and to suspicions of receiving the funds," Israel Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld confirmed.

A City Hall representative said he saw two police officers enter the building, but could not confirm seeing them leave with any documents or computers.

Meanwhile, Talansky was interrogated again at the National Fraud Unit's Bat Yam headquarters on Monday evening.

Talansky emerged from the backdoor of the police station after a long questioning session, saying "here we go" as he encountered several photographers and journalists.
He refused to comment on the investigation, occasionally flashing a smile as he entered a car, and was driven away from the police station.

In an interview aired on Sunday night on channel 10, he denied bribing the prime minister, saying the hundreds of thousands of dollars he provided Olmert were meant as campaign contribution funds.

"I never thought in any way that the money that I gave him - it was for the purpose of his becoming mayor or electioneering - was in any way illegal or wrong. He was not the only one who came to America to ask for money for the election campaign, and so I thought it was legal," Talansky said.

Earlier on Monday, the former chief investigator into corruption at the State Comptroller's office, Cmdr. (ret.) Yaakov Borovsky, said he thought the ongoing criminal investigation into Olmert will conclude with an indictment.

Olmert has committed himself to resigning should he be served with an indictment during a televised address to the nation last week.

Borovsky dismissed the idea that the investigation into Olmert was based only on illegal receipt of money, saying the far more serious charge of bribery was the focus of National Fraud Unit investigators.

He added that between 2003 and 2005, when police suspect that Olmert continued to receive money from Talansky, no elections were held, and suggested that the funds could not be solely meant to finance elections campaigns.

I wouldn't be surprised if Olmert had more than a few other shady dealings and rackets he was conducting behind the scenes.

Labels: Israel, political corruption