The High Court of Justice on Thursday ruled that there is no reason to pursue a criminal investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over expensive pens that he received from businessman Alexander Tessler while serving as head of Israel Lands Authority.

The petition, which came from Ometz, a non-profit organization that fights governmental and legal corruption, asked the court to overrule Attorney General Menachem Mazuz's decision not to open a criminal investigation against Olmert.

The affair was first exposed a few months ago with an advertisement that appeared on the NFC Website, which revealed that Olmert owns a large collection of fountain pens rumored to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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According to speculation, in his former positions as a minister, vice premier, and chairman of the Israel Lands Authority, Olmert received the pens from a wide range of businessman and politicians, now believed to be worth many thousands of dollars.

The gifts were received by Olmert at the same time that many of the businessmen in question had legislation or other interests at hand before the Israel Lands Authority or the Knesset.

In his decision, Mazuz referred to the police decision that there were no grounds for mounting an investigation. He also leveled criticism against Olmert saying it would have been "preferable if Olmert hadn't dealt directly with issues regarding his friend Alexander Tessler while serving as head of the Lands Authority."