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Last update - 01:49 24/12/2008
Olmert hearing over possible Rishon Tours indictment set for February
By Tomer Zarchin, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, Ehud Olmert 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's hearing prior to a possible indictment for his alleged misuse of public funds will take place in February, not May, as Olmert's lawyers had requested, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said Tuesday.

"Out of familiarity with the material and its scope, it is our assessment that this is a reasonable period that allows you to adequately prepare for the hearing," Mazuz's assistant, Raz Nizri, wrote Tuesday to Eli Zohar, who represents Olmert.

The hearing is Olmert's last chance to convince Mazuz that an indictment, which would likely include charges of fraud and breach of trust, is unjustified. Last month Mazuz announced he has tentatively decided to indict Olmert in what has become known as the Rishon Tours case, in which the premier is suspected of double-billing various nonprofit and state agencies for the same flights abroad on public business and then using the extra money to finance flights and seat upgrades for himself and his family. Rishon Tours is the agency through which the flights were booked.
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Early this week, Olmert's attorneys said the hearing should be delayed until May because it will take them that long to study the dozens of binders of evidence amassed during the investigation. However, it is possible that Olmert also hopes to avoid multiple hearings should any of the other investigations against him result in indictments.

However, Tuesday a source in the prosecutor's office said that five months have already passed from the time the investigation began until Mazuz decided to indict Olmert subject to a hearing, making it unreasonable to wait until May for the hearing. The source also said there was no reason for Olmert to be given more time before a hearing than Knesset members and ministers receive when under investigation.


Related articles:
  • Olmert refuses to respond to questions on Rishon Tours affair
  • PM opts for hearing in bid to stave off indictment on Rishon Tours case
  • Olmert's travel planner quizzed in corruption affairs
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