Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., July 30, 2008 Tamuz 27, 5768 | | Israel Time: 05:26 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Police say Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is being uncooperative in the corruption probe against him. (Tess Scheflan) Last update - 00:06 28/07/2008 Police: Olmert to be questioned numerous times in corruption probes By Jonathan Lis, Tomer Zarchin and Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondents Tags: Israel, Olmert, police Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be subject to additional rounds of police questioning in connection with the "cash envelopes" and "Rishon Tours" corruption scandal, law enforcement officials said on Sunday. Police sources say the number of interrogations will be determined by the amount of time Olmert will devote to the officers and the degree of progress made during each session. Investigators agreed to Olmert's offer to schedule the next round of questioning for this coming Friday at the premier's official residence in Jerusalem. Olmert said he would be available to the police for two hours. Advertisement The National Fraud Unit of the Israel Police wanted to push up its next session of questioning to an earlier day. Police sources said this weekend that Olmert's defense team had been asked to submit alternate times and to block out more time for each session. On Thursday Olmert's aides told police investigators that the prime minister could reserve only two hours, and that only next Friday, for questioning. Police officials said Saturday that the dates of the next sessions depended on the progress made during questioning, and on the degree of cooperation from the prime minister. The head of the police investigations and intelligence department, Maj.-Gen. Yohanan Danino, emphasized in remarks made over the weekend that Olmert was making it hard for the investigations team to properly investigate the allegations against the prime minister. "The repeated attempts, in writing and by phone, to arrange a time through an agent of the prime minister for questioning have not received an appropriate response. In addition, we asked in advance to arrange for an additional session," Danino wrote in a letter sent this weekend to the Movement for Quality Government. "In contrast to past experience with investigating elected officials, this is the first time that the law enforcement system has been faced with difficulties in arranging a time for questioning a senior elected official," Danino wrote. Danino said that because of the immunity enjoyed by the prime minister, the police cannot force Olmert to agree to a time for questioning. "To our understanding of the existing legal situation, the law enforcement authorities cannot force an elected official with immunity to make himself available for police questioning unless steps are taken to lift that immunity. Over the weekend, senior police officials rejected Olmert's claims about the conduct of the police and the state prosecution in their investigations of him. Last week Olmert complained he was being tried in the court of public opinion and that various leaks and "tricks" being employed in the investigations against him were tantamount to a public hanging. "None of the possessors of a conscience, the moralizers, the eye-rollers and the purists that defend the foundations of justice and the judicial system have uttered a single word," Olmert said. "First they picked a target, then they decided on a punishment and then they drew a circle around me and only after that did they begin the process that usually serves as the basis for a trial," Olmert said. Police officials preferred not to comment on Olmert's claims, although one senior official did protest the prime minister's accusation that he was not being permitted to refute in the media the charges against him because that was considered obstruction of justice. "The prime minister was given full license to present all of the material in his possession through which he can refute the suspicions against him," the police official said. "The police do not persecute people for no reason. If Olmert has material that could clear his name, we would be happy for him to present it to the investigators at the earliest opportunity. Olmert has nothing more urgent to do today than to clear his name and face the serious allegations against him. We would expect the prime minister to allot all the time needed to clear his name to investigators, but that's not happening." Meanwhile, the Labor Party will demand that Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann be replaced by someone from its ranks as part of the coalition negotiations toward the formation of a new government, senior Labor officials close to the party chairman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, said this weekend. Barak launched a veiled attack on Olmert on Friday, telling a Labor women's caucus, "Over recent days we have seen a renewed assault against the law enforcement authorities.... the prosecution, police and the courts are essential systems to any democracy. MK Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor), who is viewed as Barak's pick for the justice portfolio, said this weekend, "The de-legitimization by Olmert and Friedmann of the justice system has reached a new and dangerous peak. The Labor Party continually manages to foil the plans of both men but the damage has already been done, and I fear that it will be very difficult to repair... and that it will take years to restore the public trust in these systems...." Public Security Minister Avi Dichter (Kadima), who is competing for leadership of the party, did not hesitate to take on Olmert directly. A press release issued by his bureau said, "Minister Dichter rejects with disgust the aggressive assault this morning in all the media outlets by the prime minister against the law enforcement authorities, police officers and the state prosecution." Related articles: AG Mazuz: Olmert obstructing graft probes against him Have they no decency? Journalist petitions High Court for review of PM's datebook Bookmark to del.icio.us   Internal fighting Human rights groups say torture is widespread in Palestinian lockups. Danger looms Pentagon chief Robert Gates warns: War with Iran would be 'disastrous.'   1.   Its Time To Strip Olmert Of All Immunity And Protection He has 06:02  |  Shepherd 27/07/08   2.   INDICT OLMERT NOW for his Abuse of power 08:03  |  Dagma 27/07/08   3.   What is Olmert trying to hide ......? 08:20  |  Dolly 27/07/08   4.   What is Olmert trying to hide ......? 08:20  |  Dolly 27/07/08   5.   To 1 Shepherd - No more to say but that whch you have said. 08:36  |  Natasha 27/07/08   6.   The right to be silent 11:04  |  Binyamin Dissen 27/07/08   7.   Olmer to be declared INCAPACITATED AND REMOVED 11:42  |  The Threadmill 27/07/08   8.   To #6 BinyaminDissin - Silent only whenGuilt is a Factor 12:38  |  The Truthful One 27/07/08   9.   The point still stands - put up or shut up 13:15  |  Binyamin Dissen 27/07/08   10.   To # 9 Benyamin Dissen - But there IS A CASE 14:09  |  The Truthful One 27/07/08   11.   To Benjamin Dissen @ 9 - For Sure..... 14:25  |  charlie 27/07/08   12.   Olmert must be OUT before the next War begins..... 15:53  |  Doomsday 27/07/08   13.   Is Olmert now hopefully the EX Prime Minister 16:05  |  netta 27/07/08   14.   Olmert said he was `tired of WINNING`...... 16:43  |  Dolly 27/07/08   15.   Its all a game 03:23  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 28/07/08   16.   innocence 12:58  |  melly 28/07/08

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