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VIDEO / Olmert's lawyer: Police pressure shaped Talansky testimony
By Barak Ravid and Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Israel, Morris Talansky 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's defense attorneys on Sunday accused the police of trying to sway the testimony of the key witness in a corruption probe being waged against the premier, and suggested the suspicions be brought before the State Comptroller for review.

The prosecution's key witness, Jewish American businessman Morris Talansky, said Sunday stated Olmert's attorneys were trying to destroy his good name and his privacy and accused them of trying to "tear me apart" over things he said they know little about.

Talansky entered a third day of cross-examination by Olmert's defense team on Sunday in the corruption investigation against the prime minister dubbed the "cash envelopes" affair.
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Olmert is suspected of having illicitly received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Talansky over the course of 15 years.

One of Olmert's attorneys, Navot Tel-Tzur, said on Sunday that Talansky's testimony exposed a harsh picture of the police investigation and added that the case might even reach the state comptroller's office for review.

Tel-Tzur said that Sunday's cross-examination revealed to the public that Talansky has been a malleable witness, and that his testimony has been shaped by police and investigators.

State prosecutor Moshe Lador responded by saying that Talansky's testimony is not over yet and that the prosecution will not offer its impressions midway through the cross-examination.

Meanwhile, Talansky's attorney Jack Chen said that the case has gone nowhere even after the third day of testimony. When asked if an indictment could be served against Olmert based on Talanksy's testimony, Chen said that is unlikely, as his client has not testified that Olmert violated any laws.

Talansky said on Sunday that he felt the premier's attorneys were making him out to be an evil man, and at one point turned to the court and asked that they consider the effect of the investigation on his family in light of the fact that his life has now become public gossip.

Talansky's statement came in response to an article published by the Haaretz English edition Sunday, wherein Olmert's attorneys said they were pleased with the outcome of the cross-examination thus far, and that it was "becoming clear that Talansky is a pathological liar."

During the cross-examination, Olmert's attorneys confronted Talansky with various instances related to his relationship with the prime minister.

Evidence presented to Talansky revealed that he did not correctly recall details pertaining to Olmert's flight for a family vacation to Italy.

In his preliminary testimony in May, Talansky had claimed he withdrew $25,000 from his Jerusalem bank account to pay for the flight, but bank records put into evidence on Sunday showed no such transaction.

Talansky also said that as far as he remembers, Olmert had been mayor of Jerusalem when he gave him the $25,000, but the transaction was made in 2004, when Olmert no longer served in that position.

Eli Zohar, one of Olmert's defense attorneys, claimed that police put words in Talansky's mouth during the investigation.

Zohar accused Talansky of switching his story multiple times. "Why don't you say, 'I can't remember,'" asked Zohar. "They pushed a different version of events on you, and you accepted it because you wanted to go home."

Talansky defended himself by saying that what he said in his initial testimony is what he believed at the time. He felt that police and investigators didn't give him any time to think and he felt like someone had put a gun to his head and asked him to recall what had happened.

On Thursday, an associate of Olmert's said that Talansky demonstrated that "the people who coached him ahead of the cross-examination planted his answers for him."

State prosecutor Lador on Sunday voiced serious frustration over the behavior of Olmert's attorneys saying that their statements to the media and the way the case is being presented in the press are having a negative effect on Talansky and his ability to give accurate testimony under investigation, rendering his statements suspect.

"If a witness takes the stand and knows full well what the media and the public are expecting of him, it could have an effect on any of us, not only Mr. Talansky," Lador stated, adding that "we can not allow a situation where a witness is so exposed to what all of us, the attorneys and the prosecution are saying about him."

Lador said that such a public airing of the case hurts the ability of the courts to prosecute the case.

Talansky, who is in his seventies, told the court on Friday he did not have the energy to withstand the questioning past Sunday. Talansky added that the months-long process has been taxing and has hurt his business and family affairs.

Olmert's associates complained about the State Prosecutor's attempts to convince the Jerusalem District Court to allow Talansky to return to the U.S. and put the cross examination on hold until October. "Now that we are seeing that everything he is saying is complete fantasy, he wants to bolt, and the State Prosecutor's Office is helping him do just that," one associate said.

Talansky was quizzed about contributions he had passed on to Olmert during his Jerusalem mayoral campaigns in 1993 and 1998. "So far we have only laid the trap for Talansky," one source said. "In the next few days, he will fall into it."

Olmert has so far refrained from commenting on the core issues of the case, after Attorney General Menachem Mazuz demanded that he submit in advance any reference to the case for Mazuz's approval. Olmert rejected the stipulation.

"He wants to talk, but he is prevented because of the claim that he would be interfering with the investigation," an Olmert associate said. "It is very important for the prime minister to present his case to the public." The sources said that Olmert plans to reexamine the possibility of commenting on the affair once Talansky's cross-examination is over.

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      1.   Clear defense 05:54  |  Brandeis 20/07/08
      2.   Who is the villain...?! 07:06  |  Esther 20/07/08
      3.   Looks like Olmert`s Attorneys want to wear down 07:55  |  Dagma 20/07/08
      4.   Olmert`s defense is the publics offense 07:58  |  Meir Weinstein 20/07/08
      5.   It is 100% clear that Olmert recieved large sums of cash .. 07:58  |  redmike 20/07/08
      6.   THE NEW JERUSALEM FOUNDATION 08:13  |  The Threadmill 20/07/08
      7.   Good word Esther #2: VILLAIN 08:18  |  S 20/07/08
      8.   Olmert is in Big Trouble 08:22  |  charlie 20/07/08
      9.   Whose Prayers will be answered? 08:24  |  Natasha 20/07/08
      10.   To redmike # 5. Fully Agree .something smelly? 08:35  |  justiceforall 20/07/08
      11.   The one thats the pathological liar is Olmert 09:02  |  Shepherd 20/07/08
      12.   What is clear is that Olmert is corrupt 09:05  |  Zev 20/07/08
      13.   Talansky`s health 09:16  |  Hassa 20/07/08
      14.   defence 09:36  |  colin 20/07/08
      15.   We all know that Olmert is the LIAR 09:42  |  fred 20/07/08
      16.   #5, redmike, it is clear 100% 09:58  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 20/07/08
      17.   Birds of a feather flock together! 11:16  |  Tzfonit 20/07/08
      18.   Serves him right.... 11:25  |  Esther 20/07/08
      19.   The corrupt one here is Oldmerd. 11:56  |  Wise Saba 20/07/08
      20.   5 DAYS OF CROSS-EXAMINATION 12:21  |  Robert 20/07/08
      21.   olmerdes team have never heard of the constructive defence 12:49  |  victor hardman 20/07/08
      22.   Talansky walks a fine line... 13:25  |  Sally Forth 20/07/08
      23.   Remembering 13:27  |  Nora 20/07/08
      24.   Olmert must go (to jail) 14:07  |  Jeff 20/07/08
      25.   WHY don´t Olmert´s henchmen apply the same tactics to Hamas/Hez? 14:18  |  just wondering 20/07/08
      26.   Talansky 14:24  |  Ralph 20/07/08
      27.   The language they are using.....tells it all..... 14:51  |  Esther 20/07/08
      28.   Talansky`s Dentist Balashick made a Statement 15:04  |  Dolly 20/07/08
      29.   The lawyers who "will crush" Talansky - the ugliest Israelis ever 15:08  |  S 20/07/08
      30.   To what depths would Olmert`s Lawyers stoop..... 15:26  |  Dagma 20/07/08
      31.   To what depths would Olmert`s Lawyers stoop..... 15:26  |  Dagma 20/07/08
      32.   Talansky Admits He Lied 15:34  |  surreal 20/07/08
      33.   it`s what lawyers do mr Talansky 15:37  |  rm 20/07/08
      34.   G-d Bless America 15:46  |  joe 20/07/08
      35.   To # 29 S - Olmert and WHO he is...... 15:48  |  The Truthful One 20/07/08
      36.   There`s Only Question To Get To The Bottom Of 16:15  |  Jeff Northridge 20/07/08
      37.   From pesha meurgan to pesha meargen 16:16  |  Baruch 20/07/08
      38.   To surreal # 32 - Scare Tactics and Pressure 16:33  |  Dolly 20/07/08
      39.   Olmert Question 17:00  |  Bernard 20/07/08
      40.   In summary, when we hear all the evidence & permit the process to 17:01  |  Smadar 20/07/08
      41.   To redmike # 5 - Olmert and Imprisonment.... 17:12  |  Natasha 20/07/08
      42.   # 33 17:12  |  Loren 20/07/08
      43.   If Talansky is criminal, what does that make Olmert 17:30  |  Simon 20/07/08
      44.   To SMADAR # 40 - It is only too clear 18:03  |  Jeremy Kohn 20/07/08
      45.   Olmert is running the country like a crime boss 18:54  |  Samuel I. Popack 20/07/08
      46.   I stoped reading a lot, but don`t mix up this with that to put 18:57  |  Simon Mohammed 20/07/08
      47.   Yawn 19:15  |  US Observer 20/07/08
      48.   The Prosecutor Needs To Indict Olmert Now 20:08  |  Living In Rishon 20/07/08
      49.   How it evolves... 21:05  |  Esther 20/07/08
      50.   lo siento 21:06  |  Di 20/07/08
      51.   #41 - there is proof of money laundering which can carry several 21:08  |  redmike 20/07/08
      52.   Jeff #6 is right-on-focus...! 21:20  |  Esther 20/07/08
      53.   Re surreal #32 21:26  |  Esther 20/07/08
      54.   lo siento 21:35  |  Di 20/07/08
      55.   No-one is really interested in What Olmert has to say.....Part 2] 21:37  |  Dagma 20/07/08
      56.   Yeah right, and Olmert`s lawyers are non-pressuring angels 21:41  |  Genuine Tosefta 20/07/08
      57.   Best defense 21:48  |  Fahmi Natour 20/07/08
      58.   An elderly man Talansky of 77 years ,,,,,, 21:55  |  Natasha 20/07/08
      59.   An elderly man Talansky of 77 years ,,,,,, 21:55  |  Natasha 20/07/08
      60.   An elderly man Talansky of 77 years ,,,,,, 21:55  |  Natasha 20/07/08
      61.   An elderly man Talansky of 77 years ,,,,,, 21:55  |