Last update - 00:00 04/02/2007
Olmert has month to respond to report on J'lem real estate deal
By Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondent
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert must respond to State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss's draft report on the purchase of his Jerusalem home by the end of February 2007.
Lindenstrauss over the weekend submitted the draft report reviewing the purchase of the Cremieux Street garden apartment to Olmert and to several high-ranking officials in Jerusalem's city hall, who were also asked to deliver their responses by the end of February.
About a year ago, investigative reporter Yoav Itzhak revealed that Olmert purchased the home for $1.2 million, a price that Itzhak claimed was $320,000 lower that the market value of the apartment.
Olmert served as mayor of Jerusalem between 1993 and 2003, and is suspected of foul play in arranging permits for the building.
The apartment in question is part of a templar building designated for preservation, and according to the suspicions, Olmert's associates helped the construction firm that refurbished the home on Cremieux Street in gaining irregular permits from the Jerusalem Municipality, which significantly increased the company's profits in the project. More specifically, the approved area for construction at the site was 350 square meters and the permits increased it to 750 square meters.
This is the second real estate deal for which Olmert is being investigated by the state comptroller. In a special report in March, Lindenstrauss concluded that a deal in which Olmert sold his apartment on Kaf Tet November Street in Jerusalem to American billionaire Daniel Abrams for $2.69 million, and continued to reside there for a monthly rent of $2,250, "was reasonable."
The State Comptroller's Office confirmed that the draft was submitted to the prime minister and the city hall officials. The comptroller also said there was an embargo on the report's details and findings.