Israeli court finds ex-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert guilty in bribery case

Ex-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert convicted of bribery

(Image credit: Sebastian Scheiner/Pool/Getty Images)

published 30 March 2015

On Monday, the Jerusalem District Court found Ehud Olmert guilty of accepting bribes before becoming Israeli prime minister in 2006. Olmert had been acquitted of the charges, which include accepting envelopes stuffed with cash from U.S. businessman Morris Talansky, in 2012. But after former top aide Shula Zaken turned state witness and produced recordings of him and Olmert talking about the cash payments, Olmert was retried. His lawyers say they will probably appeal the verdict. Before Olmert was forced to resign over the bribery allegations in 2009, he maintained that he was on the verge of an historic peace deal with the Palestinians.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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