Does the state prosecution really want to convict Ehud Olmert for his corruption?
They've turned down the testimony of a former aide of Olmert's:
A one-time top aide to former prime minister Ehud Olmert won’t be allowed to testify against her former boss in exchange for a lighter sentence in a high-profile graft case, the State Prosecutor’s Office said late Thursday night.I once thought they did want to nail Olmert for his fraudulent activities. Now, it would seem otherwise. Why can't they decide what they want to do about him? Is their leftism getting the better of them again?
Shula Zaken’s legal team had been in talks with the prosecution over the past several weeks to work out a plea bargain that would see her turn state’s witness in the Holyland case, in which Olmert is accused of taking bribes to push through a major residential development as mayor of Jerusalem a decade ago.
However, the prosecution said Zaken’s offered testimony was not strong enough to justify a plea deal.
A verdict in the Holyland case is expected March 31.
On Wednesday, Zaken spent several hours being grilled by police over what she knew about Olmert’s role in the Holyland affair.
The Justice Ministry said in a statement that the decision was made both because the trial had already passed the stage when new testimony could be given and because Zaken’s offered testimony had no “outside documentation” to back it up.
Zaken’s legal team panned the decision, saying the state had passed up on a chance to expose all the wrongdoing that had happened while she served as Olmert’s bureau chief.
Labels: Israel, political corruption
