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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Tess Scheflan / Jini)
Last update - 02:12 04/05/2008
Justice Ministry: Contrary to reports, no discussion of Olmert's suspension
By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press
Tags: Ehud Olmert, Police, Israel

The Justice Ministry on Saturday announced that a discussion in the wake of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's latest police interrogation did not include talk of his suspension from office.

MK Silvan Shalom (Likud) said on Saturday that he has been in contact with various Knesset members to try and get majority support for his proposal to disperse the current Knesset at the start of the summer session, in about two weeks.

According to Shalom, Olmert's government has reached the end of its road, and it is time to offer voters the chance to elect a better, more worthy government.
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Labor Party MK Ophir Pines-Paz called on Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to publicize details of the latest allegations against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israel Radio reported on Saturday, one day after police questioned the premier in Jerusalem.

"The attorney general ought to stand before the public and tell what is going on as soon as possible," Pines-Paz told Israel Radio on Saturday. "He should tell us what is happening, are the allegations justified, whether [the police] have evidence, and what exactly were the crimes."

Pines-Paz told Israel Radio that while the severity of any potential charges remains unknown, "there is no doubt that the attorney general is being cautious with regards to any suspicions against the prime minister, which would indicate that there is no doubt that we are talking about something serious and widescale."

"Many investigations started with much fanfare and ended with nothing, such as the investigation against the prime minister over the Bank Leumi affair," MK Yoel Hasson of Kadima told Israel Radio on Saturday. Hasson added that Olmert cooperated with authorities and answered every question asked by police.

Olmert was questioned under caution by police on Friday in connection to a new corruption affair, after which a senior legal source was quoted on Channel 1 as saying, "Olmert is in a grave situation, it is doubtful whether he will be able to continue to hold his position."

The subject of Friday's investigation was different from other corruption affairs in which Olmert has been suspected of involvement - relating to real estate deals and questionable political appointments - but over which he has never been charged.

The questioning, which took place at Olmert's official residence in Jerusalem, prompted a number of Knesset members to call on him to suspend himself pending the investigations.

Police began questioning the prime minister at 10 A.M., and continued for about an hour and a half.

MK Shelly Yachimovich, a member of Olmert's ruling coalition from the Labor Party, on Thursday called the scope of charges against Olmert unprecedented and said he should suspend himself immediately.

"It has been proven beyond any doubt that the prime minister can't be under serial investigations and also suspected of crimes and also lead the country," she told Israel Radio.

Police would not disclose any further information on the case, citing a court-imposed gag order. Police opened an investigation against the daily newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, for breaking the gag order and publishing details of the scandal.

Likud party chairman Gideon Sa'ar, meanwhile, urged the Labor Party to quit the government coalition immediately, calling it a "government under constant suspicion."

"Olmert is the prime minister who has been investigated more than any other in the history of Israel. The Labor Party is responsible for the survival of the coalition and if it stands to present values, control of law and clean hands, it needs to quit immediately," the Likud MK said.

MK Zahava Gal-On also called on the prime minister to take temporary leave pending the proceedings of the investiagtions, Israel Radio reported.

Detectives from the national police fraud unit on Wednesday had asked to meet with Olmert urgently, within 48 hours. The summons were made after receiving special permission from the attorney general.

The police attempted to keep the questioning secret but it was reported last night by Channel 2 television news. Despite the report and despite previous promises by National Police Commissioner David Cohen and other senior police officials to notify the media in advance about Olmert's investigation, national police headquarters Thursday refused to comment.

"The prime minister intends to fully cooperate with law enforcement officials as he has in the past and he is convinced that once the truth is disclosed in the framework of the police investigation, the suspicions against him will disappear," a statement issued Thursday by the Prime Minister's Office said.

It is not known which affair Olmert was questioned about. In the past, it was reported that three concurrent investigations were being conducted against Olmert: the Investment Center affair, the affair surrounding political appointments in the Small Business Authority and the house on Cremieux Street affair.

Olmert has been questioned in the past under caution. Last October a police fraud unit team came to his home to take statements regarding changes in the tender for Bank Leumi. At the time, Olmert was suspected of having acted to alter the conditions of the tender to favor a friend, Frank Lowy, who was considering submitting a bid. Olmert was questioned for two days, following which he fell ill with a cold. In the end, the police announced that Olmert was not suspected of criminal behavior in connection with the affair.

A few months before that, detectives came to the prime minister's residence to hear Olmert's version of events vis-a-vis the Tax Authority affair. At the time the police announced that Olmert was not a suspect in the affair, but was merely being questioned over the appointment process for senior officials in the organization and over the role of his office manager, Shula Zaken, in the affair.

In November, the fraud unit conducted a major evidence-gathering operation relating to investigations against Olmert. One hundred detectives raided 20 different sites simultaneously, confiscating a large number of computers and documents. The material involved all three of the affairs reportedly being investigated.

Among the sites raided was the office of the minister of trade and industry and other offices in the ministry; the Israel Lands Administration; the employment bureau; the Small Business Authority and the Investments Center. Documents were also collected from the offices of attorney Uri Messer, the Alumot real estate developer, the postal authority and the Jerusalem municipality.

Police secrecy over Olmert probe leads to questions

Senior Israel Police officials and investigators maintained a veil of secrecy Thursday over the circumstances of the impromptu questioning of Olmert.

Police intended to keep word of the questioning secret from the public, yet the leak to Channel 2 TV caught the upper echelons of the police and the spokesmen off guard. Repeated inquiries from the press were met with no comment.

In the absence of an adequate explanation as to the reasons behind the surprise investigation, one can only speculate as to why the police chose this particular course of action:

  • Have there been any significant surprise developments in one or more of the current investigations ongoing against the prime minister?

  • Have witnesses given incriminating statements to police against Olmert or his aides with reference to one or more of the investigations against him, which would then prompt authorities to seek out the premier for his version of events?

  • Do investigators suspect Olmert, a sitting prime minister, may take steps to interfere with the investigation against him - steps which would include coordinating testimony or destroying evidence? If the premier is made aware of which pieces of evidence the police are in possession of, would the police move quickly in questioning him before he would have the opportunity to tamper with or destroy such evidence?

  • Police sources hinted Thursday that, due to the leak, investigators are likely to postpone the questioning. In years prior, police have carried out "investigation drills" in which they announce, by way of the news media, their intention to question a particular public figure. Do police want to keep tabs on those being investigated so as to observe their reactions to news of Olmert's imminent questioning? Will the questioning be eventually cancelled?

  • Given the police silence on the matter, it is unclear whether the evidence being used by investigators forms the basis of an investigation in which Olmert is the prime suspect, or whether his statements are needed to incriminate somebody else.

  • Why did the police commissioner, the head of the investigators unit, and the head of the police fraud unit elect not to notify the public of their intention to question the prime minister today (Friday), despite prior understandings according to which news of any investigation of the prime minister will be made available to the public? Why did the police high command "go underground" Thursday and refuse to respond to questions concerning the investigation?

    Related articles:
  • AG opposes moves to postpone criminal probes against Olmert
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      1.   Well, that`s one way 21:55  |  Yonatan 01/05/08
      2.   Lock him up already! 21:55  |  Citizen Zero 01/05/08
      3.   Yalla, kus uchtuck, lech habaita 22:21  |  Dror 01/05/08
      4.   ANYBODY REPLACING HIM SHOULD BE 22:24  |  Robert 01/05/08
      5.   Put the bum in jail before he wrecks Israel 22:40  |  Wendy 01/05/08
      6.   Too much to hope our national blight will be removed from us? 22:42  |  bat yam 01/05/08
      7.   Put him in jail--and Bush with him... 22:57  |  Silvienne 01/05/08
      8.   Olmert - Superb Palmgreaser , But Abysmal PM 23:04  |  Tod Zuckerman 01/05/08
      9.   Not just one but 3 23:05  |  Palestinian Brit 01/05/08
      10.   Could "urgency" be politically motivated? 23:11  |  Clairvoyant 01/05/08
      11.   Anything to get him removed 23:32  |  Mark 01/05/08
      12.   We need an original leader 23:40  |  Dror 01/05/08
      13.   Breach of Trust, Cronyism, Fraud, and Perfidy 00:30  |  Joe Kaufman 02/05/08
      14.   Get Bush into the country! 00:51  |  Desperate Citizen 02/05/08
      15.   dirt never sticks to olmert the outtcome is known allready 02:56  |  zionist forever 02/05/08
      16.   Desparate Citizen#12 07:20  |  Victor on behalf of 02/05/08
      17.   Great News! 07:27  |  Dolly 02/05/08
      18.   It looks like Olmert will have to give away more of Israel 09:24  |  Zev 02/05/08
      19.   The rotten albatross around Israel`s neck 10:16  |  Clickfool 02/05/08
      20.   a disgraceful spectacle 10:22  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/05/08
      21.   The Truth is no leader can fix ME... 10:36  |  Shimon Cleopas 02/05/08
      22.   clickfool we at least cleanse ourselves of corruption 11:54  |  brighton rock 02/05/08
      23.   Olmert Questioned 12:00  |  Reid 02/05/08
      24.   Israelis give too little respect to Olmert 12:43  |  Natallie Durson 02/05/08
      25.   @Durson 13:09  |  Ralph 02/05/08
      26.   why is it coming know 13:18  |  paul 02/05/08
      27.   #24, Durson, you have perfect logic, for once 13:19  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/05/08
      28.   WHY NOW 13:20  |  paul 02/05/08
      29.   Hooray Israel is SAVED! 13:43  |  Dolly 02/05/08
      30.   For Cipora # 27 14:01  |  Clickfool 02/05/08
      31.   Olmert 14:01  |  J. B. 02/05/08
      32.   To Paul # 28 - Before it isToo Late ..... 14:02  |  The Threadmill 02/05/08
      33.   Hermit...whats up doc ..? 14:12  |  Stephen. 02/05/08
      34.   To Paul # 28 - Kind of funny,,,,,,,? 14:16  |  Dolly 02/05/08
      35.   RESIGN MR. PRIME MINISTER 14:23  |  Danny 02/05/08
      36.   #7 Silly Vain 14:26  |  * BEN JABO 02/05/08
      37.   HOW MUCH MONEY PM GET IN ISRAEL ? 14:29  |  ... 02/05/08
      38.   #9 Palestinian Brit 14:31  |  * BEN JABO 02/05/08
      39.   Do you know what was Olmerts father job for living ? 14:32  |  ... 02/05/08
      40.   The whole Goverment is Dirty 14:40  |  Joe Klein 02/05/08
      41.   @Ralph | #25 14:40  |  Catholic Israeli 02/05/08
      42.   Do you know when is My Birth Day ? 14:52  |  ... 02/05/08
      43.   I BET YOU DONT KNOW THE DEEP RELATION BETWEEN OLMERT AND GAYDAMAK 14:54  |  ... 02/05/08
      44.   MORE MONEY FOR MINISTERS? PAYOFFS? 15:01  |  Menachem Ben Yakov 02/05/08
      45.   why Olmert comes my country always ! WHY THEY SAY ISRAEL IS HERE 15:30  |  stronger than there 02/05/08
      46.   why Olmert signed the order MR. KATSAV TO DOWN ? 15:31  |  ... 02/05/08
      47.   why we never see Olmert AT THE CRYING WALL ? 15:32  |  ... 02/05/08
      48.   why Omert called carter with red phone to apologise ? 15:33  |  ... 02/05/08
      49.   how much money Mrs. Olmert has in bank ? 15:33  |  ... 02/05/08
      50.   why mossad stopped Mrs. Olmert to divorce Mr. Olmert ? 15:34  |  ... 02/05/08
      51.   #40 Olmert to be send home 15:35  |  E.L 02/05/08
      52.   Olmert sickness (the cancer) ! looks okey today ! who holds ... 15:37  |  ... the day ? 02/05/08
      53.   ex chief of IDF will be in Knesset ! did you know ? 15:41  |  ... 02/05/08
      54.   Olmert`s prive doctor is nat happy these days ! WHY ? 15:42  |  ... 02/05/08
      55.   Olmert everynights drink almost two bottle of wine ! 15:43  |  what brand ? 02/05/08
      56.   Of course THEFT=Zionism 15:47  |  Sam (UK) 02/05/08
      57.   Go BEFORE Gives Away the Farm 16:07  |  B 02/05/08
      58.   Jail this war criminal 16:10  |  Justice 02/05/08
      59.   ATILLA-sweetheart: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 16:15  |  AliciaYasmeen 02/05/08
      60.   The PM laughs we cry 16:15  |  Joshua 02/05/08
      61.   Calling all suckers: vote bb! 16:21  |  Bob 02/05/08
      62.   You got it right Paul #28 16:51  |  Clairvoyant 02/05/08
      63.   Haaretz with the Clown`s gloves.. 17:02  |  Buzaglow 02/05/08
      64.   Why now? 17:19  |  Clairvoyant 02/05/08
      65.   OK...ATILLA...YOU ARE THE ONE..! 17:21  |  Stephen. 02/05/08
      66.   To atilla # 37 - How much money ..... 17:26  |  Dagma 02/05/08