Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., May 17, 2008 Iyyar 12, 5768 | | Israel Time: 03:56 (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

Prime Mininster Ehud Olmert (center right) on Tuesday sitting near U.S. mogul Sheldon Adelson (center left) at the "Facing Tomorrow" conference in Jerusalem. (Tess Scheflan / Jini) Last update - 07:32 14/05/2008 Police quiz U.S. tycoon Sheldon Adelson as part of Olmert probe By Jonathan Lis, Guy Leshem, Ofra Edelman and Tomer Zarchin, Haaretz Correspondents Tags: Olmert, Bribe  Haaretz.com hosts Peres' Presidential Conference Web site The investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continued on Tuesday to focus on the search for any quid pro quo that Olmert might have provided to U.S. businessman Morris Talansky in exchange for the hundreds of thousands of dollars he is suspected of giving to Olmert. Police questioned billionaire U.S. businessmen Sheldon Adelson and S. Daniel Abraham in connection with the investigation. Both men are in Israel to attend the Presidential Conference. Advertisement Real estate tycoon Adelson on Tuesday provided a sworn statement to detectives. Police believe that Olmert wrote to him and at least one other major hotel owner and asked them to buy mini-bar refrigerators for their properties made by a company in which Talansky had a stake at the time. Talansky himself is thought to be behind the letter, which did not result in purchase orders. Sources said that Adelson, who owns the free Israeli daily Yisrael Hayom and is close to former prime minister and Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, was hard put to remember the letter and Olmert's request. On Monday, police detectives waited for Abraham outside his Jerusalem hotel and questioned him about his relationship with Olmert and money he allegedly transferred to the prime minister years ago. In January 2004, Abraham purchased Olmert's former home on Kaf Tet Benovember Street in Jerusalem. Abraham made his fortune as a founder of Slim Fast, and in 1989 he founded the Center for Middle East Peace & Economic Cooperation, which he bankrolls. Israeli law-enforcement authorities on Tuesday confirmed that both Adelson and Abraham were questioned by police in connection with the investigation but emphasized that they are not suspects and that their statements were intended to establish Olmert's pattern of behavior and that he acted in Talansky's favor. Earlier on Tuesday, detectives from the police's National Fraud Unit raided offices at the Trade and Industry Ministry in their widening search for a paper trail showing the alleged money trail between Talansky and Olmert. Police did not raid the minister's office, as they did in a previous search in a different Olmert investigation, focusing instead on the ministry's correspondence archive. In addition to carting away documents, detectives on Tuesday attempted to restore data from ministry computers. Olmert headed the ministry from 2003 to 2006, before he became prime minister. On Monday, the police searched Jerusalem municipal offices looking for evidence of alleged compensation provided by Olmert to Talansky in exchange for cash sums Olmert is suspected of receiving from Talansky during Olmert's 10-year tenure as the capital's mayor. One suspicion is that Olmert ordered the installation of speed bumps on the street where Talansky's children and grandchildren live after the businessman-philanthropist asked him to intervene. No new date has been set for further questioning of Olmert under caution. Detectives want to complete their questioning of various figures before renewing their interviews with the prime minister. In addition, law-enforcement authorities are also waiting to see when Talansky is to be questioned in district court. Police sources say that if Olmert's attorneys can keep Talansky from giving preliminary evidence in the affair, the detectives will delay questioning Olmert again for as long as possible. But if Talansky ends up giving evidence in the next several days, the police are expected to get Olmert's version of events beforehand to "lock" him into a narrative before Talansky testifies in open court and before Olmert's lawyers have a chance to review the investigative material in preparation for their cross-examination of Talansky in court. The police are also preparing to conduct confrontations between former Olmert bureau head Shula Zaken and attorney Uri Messer, and between Talansky and Olmert, possibly in the near future. The state on Tuesday asked the Jerusalem District Court to take a statement from Talansky as soon as possible, in light of the fact that the order preventing Talansky from leaving the country expires on May 21. Related articles: Police raid J'lem municipality, look for documents linking PM to bribes In Talansky case, Olmert's bonds with cronies beginning to crack Mr. Suspect's government Talansky's funds paid debts from PM's mayoral campaigns Bookmark to del.icio.us   Animated massacre Animated Israeli film at Cannes explores Sabra and Shatila massacre. Kowtowing to funders When papers are sponsored, can their reporting be truly independent?   1.   investigation on potential bribes received by PM 01:49  |  Feuer 13/05/08   2.   Big Bussiness and Olmert are on trial 03:09  |  Meir Weinstein 13/05/08   3.   What a waste of time 05:19  |  Mark Lincoln 13/05/08   4.   To # 1 Feuer - The GULLIBLE....... 08:55  |  The Threadmill 13/05/08   5.   #2, Meir, so what 09:00  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 13/05/08   6.   To Meir Weinstein # 2 - The New Jerusalem Foudation 09:05  |  Natasha 13/05/08   7.   Meir Weinstein # 2 - The Jerusalem Fund 09:16  |  Dagma 13/05/08   8.   Mark Lincoln # 3 - Arab line of thoughts...... 09:49  |  Dolly 13/05/08   9.   MARK LINCOLN # 3 - A Waste of Time? 10:08  |  charlie 13/05/08   10.   It`s clear by now. This will take years. 11:06  |  S 13/05/08   11.   If there was anythng incriminating Olmert in City Hall 11:30  |  Yonatan 13/05/08   12.   On Politics, Power and lots of Money..! 11:57  |  Stephen. 13/05/08   13.   Its all about speed bumps ? 13:45  |  David Plane 13/05/08   14.   Olmert Corruption 13:46  |  Scott G 13/05/08   15.   investigation 14:02  |  jossie 13/05/08   16.   To Yonatan - # 11 - Olmert the Manipulator.... 14:16  |  The Threadmill 13/05/08   17.   I guess police don`t take bribes 14:27  |  tit for tat 13/05/08   18.   It`s `catchy` to be a Millionaire........ 14:36  |  Natasha 13/05/08   19.   Evidence long gone 15:15  |  M 13/05/08   20.   To M # 19- - Trash eliminated...... 16:17  |  The Serious One 13/05/08   21.   Olmert`s Favors to Talansky Revealed ... 17:04  |  Michael 13/05/08   22.   Re S #10,,,it will take yrs... 17:48  |  Esther 13/05/08   23.   Olmert needs to step down Its not right to put Israel thru this 18:23  |  Dish It Out 13/05/08   24.   Re M #19 18:26  |  Esther 13/05/08   25.   Esther #10 Of course you are right. 18:27  |  S 13/05/08   26.   To Esther # 22 - Disagree,,,,,, 18:27  |  Orpheus 13/05/08   27.   MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 18:30  |  JOJO 13/05/08   28.   Maybe this REALLY is about IMAGESAT a Israeli 18:41  |  ROBOCOP 13/05/08   29.   Hi Orpheus #26... down there... 18:58  |  Esther 13/05/08   30.   Olmert was also Minister of Communications and that`s it 19:14  |  Meir Weinstein 13/05/08   31.   Re JOJO #27... you say it very well... 19:17  |  Esther 13/05/08   32.   Olmert corruption!!! 20:02  |  Bat Man 13/05/08   33.   to #27-A huge Fenurail, & the dead is a mouse. 20:07  |  Simon Mohammed 13/05/08   34.   Journalistic accuracy? 20:32  |  Yossi 13/05/08   35.   To Esther # 29 - Olmert ..... 20:43  |  Orpheus 13/05/08   36.   Re #28 ROBOCOP 20:47  |  Meir Weinstein 13/05/08   37.   We all knowthat US Zionists are corrupt... 21:16  |  Chanalau, Tova 13/05/08   38.   It`s getting sicker... 21:37  |  Tali 13/05/08   39.   Probe 21:50  |  Bitya 13/05/08   40.   Shalom Orpheus #35 21:53  |  Esther 13/05/08   41.   Re Yossi #34 22:05  |  Esther 13/05/08   42.   Hey Esther 41."Adelson on TV looked frail and harried..." 22:37  |  bat yam 13/05/08   43.   This is really serious ... 23:20  |  Charlie 13/05/08   44.   We also know that British self-hating Jews are corrupt to the cor 00:04  |  Genuine Tosefta 14/05/08   45.   Filthy lucre. 00:41  |  Maureen Ann 14/05/08   46.   what a joke... 00:42  |  jb 14/05/08   47.   INDICT OLMERT FOR MINI-BAR-GATE 01:31  |  jew 14/05/08   48.   Bush is effectively blackmailing Olmert 04:06  |  Rowan 14/05/08   49.   INDICT OLMERT AND LIVNI FOR DEFEATISM 04:09  |  ROB GOTTESMAN 14/05/08   50.   The long list 07:29  |  J. Frank Mortimer 14/05/08   51.   Speed bumps? 08:48  |  Sherlock Holmes 14/05/08   52.   Olmert stays Prime Minister against the Will of the People 09:18  |  Dagma 14/05/08   53.   Olmert is acting as Prime minister AGAINST THE PEOPLES` WILL 09:35  |  Natasha 14/05/08   54.   Olmert... Arafat.... or Ahmedinejad....? 09:53  |  charlie 14/05/08   55.   Why was Olmert not questioned this week? 12:28  |  Confused 14/05/08   56.   To Sherlock Holmes # 51 - Speed Bumps and Bribery 12:29  |  Watson 14/05/08   57.   To Sherlock Holmes # 51 - Speed Bumps and Bribery 12:49  |  Watson 14/05/08   58.   To Confused # 55 - Believed to be inadvisable 12:57  |  The Serious One 14/05/08   59.   To Moderators Please,,,,,,, 13:26  |  Watson 14/05/08   60.   Shameful! 16:35  |  Concerned citizen 14/05/08   61.   Timing of all this suspect... 08:01  |  H.K. 15/05/08   62.   Sherlock Holmes`s reply to [Dr.] Watson 14:03  |  Sherlock Holmes 15/05/08   63.   People Like Mr. Adelson Must help Israel rid of potential threat 00:03  |  Yuri 16/05/08   64.   Olmert Resign! Olmert is a corrupt defeatist ! 06:02  |  Charles Weiss 16/05/08

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