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Sources at State Prosecution: Talansky's testimony has not cracked By Tomer Zarchin Jerusalem District Prosecutor Eli Abarbanel had a worried look on his face as he listened yesterday to Morris Talansky's squirming responses to being confronted over and over again with contradictions in his police testimony and preliminary court deposition. Sources close to Talansky were quick to inform reporters that during one of the breaks in yesterday's hearing, State Prosecutor Moshe Lador was overheard saying to someone in the court cafeteria: "The case is a goner." An associate denied this on Lador's behalf, insisting that all he had said was that, "Whoever thinks the case is a goner either does not understand the case or is pretending to not understand it." Advertisement Either way, officials at the State Prosecutor's Office say the contradictions in Talansky's testimony were known to them early on in the investigation, since they went over his statements to the police before giving the material to Olmert's lawyers. By the end of Talansky's third day under cross-examination, the officials still maintained that "the core of Talansky's testimony" had not cracked, and would serve, in combination with additional testimony and documents gathered, as the basis for deciding whether to file an indictment in the case. Queried on how Talansky had gone from key witness in the case to just one component in an entire evidentiary scheme, a senior prosecution official replied: "We never said the whole case would be riding on Talansky." Even after Talansky's credibility was shattered repeatedly yesterday, the official justified going all the way to the Supreme Court to arrange for Talansky's preliminary deposition, an extraordinary proceeding in a criminal case. "We don't regret the preliminary testimony - witness the fact that both the [Jerusalem] District Court and the Supreme Court ruled that the decision to hold a preliminary deposition was justified," he said. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Brown's ultimatum British PM to Knesset: Iran must suspend nuclear bid or face global isolation. One giant leap VIDEO: Israeli-developed device allows paraplegics to walk again.

Read & React Brown to Knesset: Iran must suspend nuclear bid or face global isolation Responses: 145 Report: Israel willing to free Barghouti for Shalit Responses: 160 Yossi Sarid: Obama has already changed things for the better Responses: 90 Yoav Orgad: Before the Muslim minority becomes a majority Responses: 96 IDF reservists rail at having to guard former Jewish terrorist Responses: 40 More Headlines 00:08 Prosecution leans toward charging Katsav with rape 01:42 Talansky tries to hide pain, anger in final day under fire 23:37 Olmert's Kadima sets date for party leadership battle 21:31 McCain: Sanctions might stop Iran, but U.S. won't allow second Holocaust 23:03 Court rejects petition to keep Talansky in Israel for further questioning 19:16 Brown to Knesset: Iran must suspend nuclear bid or face global isolation 01:17 Ex-panel head: Olmert not implementing Holocaust survivor promises 22:13 Lawmakers pass three no-confidence votes against gov't 22:12 MKs okay preliminary reading for NIS 1.8b higher education budget hike 23:10 VIDEO / Soldier filmed shooting bound Palestinian: Commander told me 'shoot him' 15:04 Report: Israel willing to free Marwan Barghouti for Shalit 19:23 Palestinians: West Bank settlers fired makeshift rockets at us 19:09 VIDEO: Israeli-developed device allows paraplegics to walk again 21:35 Fearing Haredi ire, Knesset choir excludes women singers at Brown session Previous Editions Select Day 21 jul 20 jul 18 jul 17 jul 16 jul 15 jul 14 jul 13 jul 11 jul 10 jul 09 jul 08 jul

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