Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., May 13, 2008 Iyyar 8, 5768 | | Israel Time: 03:14 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Police suspect money transferred to Olmert outside campaign season By Jonathan Lis The investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's alleged illegal receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars from American businessman and fund-raiser Morris Talansky is currently focused on Olmert's tenure as industry and trade minister in the Sharon government - not on the mayoral election campaigns in which Olmert participated, the funding for which he said he had received from Talansky, sources involved in the probe told Haaretz. Olmert said Friday that the investigation dealt with donations to the 1999 and 2002 campaigns for the Jerusalem mayoralty and the Likud primary. The prime minister further said the funds were also intended to cover losses. He said he had met Talansky 20 years ago and acknowledged receiving funds from him, saying they were campaign contributions when he twice ran for mayor of Jerusalem and that he never kept any money for himself or took bribes. Advertisement However, the sources said investigators were primarily gathering incriminating evidence about Olmert's activities circa 2005. "The investigators are currently focusing on reinforcing suspicions that are relatively easy to verify," one of the sources said. "They are dealing with the period during which it is possible to unearth findings that will strengthen the suspicions against Olmert. By virtue of these things, it is easier to deal with and to investigate suspicions related to a more recent period than to suspicions related to something that happened 15 years ago, when the relationship between Olmert and Talansky began." The sources said the evidence unearthed so far all points in the same direction. "During the short period being probed so far, the investigators managed to arrange a cross-checking of sources," said the person involved in the probe. "There are documents, there's Talansky's testimony, there's [attorney Uri] Messer's testimony - all these findings reinforce the credibility of the other." A law-enforcement official, who is familiar with Olmert's testimony and the investigators' work, indicated that the prime minister may be attempting to mislead the public. "There's no doubt that Olmert is trying to pull the investigation in a certain direction, of collecting funds for elections," the official said. "But in contrast to the impression Olmert is trying to create, the investigation team is currently focusing precisely on the period when there were no elections, and there was no apparent justification for collecting funds for an election campaign." The official said police suspect Olmert of receiving envelopes of cash but don't know what happened to the money. Talansky told Channel 10 yesterday that he had no idea whether the money he gave Olmert went into his own pocket - which Olmert denied in a televised address Thursday night - or was used for political campaigns. Talansky said he had no idea the donations were illegal and that he had no intention of doing business in Israel. "At present, the investigation is clearly focusing on the period when Olmert served as the minister of industry, trade and labor," the official said, adding that investigators may yet expand their probe to cover the period during which Talansky raised funds for Olmert's various election campaigns. "The investigators have solid information regarding envelopes of cash that were handed over to Olmert, and there is no information regarding the fate of that money." Meanwhile, investigators resumed looking into the allegations yesterday, for the first time since the details of the case were reported in the local press after Independence Day on Thursday. The investigators tried to lower their profile and shake off the media yesterday. The primary suspects - Olmert, Messer and Olmert's former bureau chief Shula Zaken - were not questioned yesterday. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Death of a heroine Irena Sendler, who saved 2,500 Jews during the Holocaust, dies at 98. Apocalyptic tidings Holy See warns of nightmarish perils if Mideast nuclear arms race is not halted.

Read & React Israel on alert as clashes rage across Lebanon for sixth day Responses: 277 Olmert to Egypt: No Gaza truce if Shalit is not released Responses: 127 Lieberman: I'd join Netanyahu gov't if I received defense post Responses: 69 Akiva Eldar: If Bush was really Israel's friend, he'd stay home Responses: 89 Haaretz TV: Religious homosexuals contend with self-hatred and Haredi condemnation Responses: 85 More Headlines 02:57 Bush to Haaretz: Peace process not contingent on one man 01:45 Police search J'lem municipality for evidence PM received bribes 02:44 Lebanese army says will use force from Tues. to stop fighting 02:45 ANALYSIS / In Lebanon, the new reality has taken over 20:31 Bush: Olmert is an honest man; our relationship is 'excellent' 02:02 J'lem bracing for gridlock during Peres presidential conference 22:07 U.S. think-tank aims to infuse Jewish life with dashes of color 23:50 Woman killed as rocket directly hits Negev home 21:24 Olmert to Egypt: No Gaza truce if Shalit is not released 00:14 Actor Jon Voight visits Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks during Jerusalem trip 23:42 U.S. victims of terror in Israel sue Swiss bank for ties with Iran 21:36 11 J'lem teens suspected of racially motivated assault against Arabs Previous Editions Select Day 12 may 11 may 09 may 08 may 07 may 06 may 05 may 04 may 02 may 01 may 30 apr 29 apr

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