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Last update - 18:16 15/08/2008
Olmert aides: Talansky court evasion shows he's unreliable
By Tomer Zarchin, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Ehud Olmert, Corruption 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's associates on Thursday seized Morris Talansky's announcement that he will not return to Israel for the continuation of a corruption probe into the premier as evidence of the key witness' unreliability.

"This shows who Talansky is, how much one can trust him and how much one can base things upon him," the prime minister's associates told Channel 10.

The Jewish American businessman's attorneys in Israel announced his decision earlier Thursday after being informed of it by his attorneys in the United States, with whom he consulted before reaching the decision.
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Olmert's associates added: "Talansky is scarred because the main point of the story isn't money that he transferred to the prime minister, but other money that he has a reason to hide."

Talansky's U.S. lawyers, Bradley D. Simon and Neal M. Sher, explained that Talansky's choice not to come back to Israel for the continuation of the probe stems from their client's desire not to incriminate himself in a grand jury investigation being conducted against him in a New York court.

The probe, dubbed the "cash envelopes" affair, is into allegations that Olmert illicitly received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Talansky over the course of 15 years.

An Olmert spokesman, Amir Dan, earlier said his lawyers would weigh the "serious consequences" stemming from Talansky's decision and asserted that the prosecution's case against the prime minister was "exploding."

The Israel Police, meanwhile, said the investigation against Olmert would move forward as planned, playing down the impact of Talansky's decision not to appear before court in late August.

Simon and Sher wrote to their Israeli counterparts that, "It is our understanding that the New York federal investigation mirrors in many respects the matters at issue in the Israeli investigation... By cooperating with Israeli authorities, Mr. Talansky has placed himself in legal jeopardy in the United States."

The U.S. attorneys wrote that while their client remained committed to cooperating with Israeli prosecutors, they had advised him not to appear for further examination in Israel until the U.S. grand jury matter is resolved.

Sher and Simon stated that should Talansky do otherwise, his testimony in Israel could be used against him in the U.S. "in violation of his rights under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."

Revelation of the cash envelopes affair alongside the existence of a number of other investigations against Olmert have led the premier to declare his intention to step down after a September primary in his Kadima party.

Related articles:
  • Olmert's lawyers: We'll need to extend Talansky cross-examination
  • Talansky: Olmert's lawyers won't break me in cross-questioning
  • Morris Talansky: I arranged cash payments to Yitzhak Rabin
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      1.   Mazuz Needs To Indict Olmert Already, Enough With The Questions 16:44  |  Shepherd 14/08/08
      2.   Talansky is Right not to return ...... 17:10  |  Dagma 14/08/08
      3.   Anyway, what are they waiting for ? 17:16  |  charlie 14/08/08
      4.   It Just Means That There Is Substance and Weight in His Testimony 19:29  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 14/08/08
      5.   Olmert finally deciding to Step Down 19:29  |  Mr.Pranls 14/08/08
      6.   case exploding? 19:42  |  Paul Freedman 14/08/08
      7.   "...how much one can trust him..." 22:22  |  common sense 14/08/08
      8.   We all know the truth .. 22:38  |  redmike 14/08/08
      9.   #6 - the case in the US against Talansky would show that Olmert 22:41  |  redmike 14/08/08
      10.   #2 Re: Talansky 23:39  |  Chuck 14/08/08
      11.   Talansky wants to show... 00:18  |  Esther 15/08/08
      12.   Mazuz its time to indict Olmert and wind this circus up. 08:39  |  Dish It Out 15/08/08
      13.   It is beginning to get too `hot` for Olmert .... 16:29  |  Dolly 15/08/08
      14.   Olmert aides determined to undermine Talansky...... 17:48  |  Natasha 15/08/08
      15.   To common sense # 7 - Untrustworthiness 19:42  |  justiceforall 15/08/08
      16.   Mazuz 04:28  |  Rozz 16/08/08
      17.   The indignant are deprived of entertainment.... 09:02  |  Esther 16/08/08
      18.   Tlansky has given his testimony, Enough is enough, 10:07  |  Sylvia 16/08/08
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