Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert found guilty in corruption case
Ehud Olmert stands at the Tel Aviv District Court on May 13, 2014.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was found guilty Monday of fraud and breach of trust in a retrial on corruption charges, three years after being acquitted.
Olmert’s lawyers said they would likely appeal the ruling by the Jerusalem District Court. He is scheduled to be sentenced at a later court hearing.
Olmert was acquitted in 2012 of a series of charges that included accepting cash-stuffed envelopes from U.S. businessman Morris Talansky when Olmert was mayor of Jerusalem and a Cabinet minister before he became prime minister. The verdict was seen as a major victory for Olmert.
But Olmert’s former office manager and confidant, Shula Zaken, later became a prosecution witness, offering recordings of conversations with Olmert about receiving cash. That led to a retrial.
A panel of judges at the Jerusalem District Court found that Olmert had used the money for personal reasons without reporting it.
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