Shendar opts against criminal probe of PM on real estate deals
State Prosecutor decides not to investigate Olmert's sale of Jerusalem home, purchase of Tel Aviv apartment.
By Yuval Yoaz Tags: Ehud Olmert Menachem MazuzState Prosecutor Eran Shendar decided Tuesday not to order a criminal investigation into to real estate affairs involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
The affairs involve the sale of a Jerusalem home and the purchase of a Tel Aviv apartment.
Shendar's decision, which was accepted by Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, was based of a lack of evidence justifying a criminal probe regarding the Tel Aviv apartment, and the fact that the statute of limitations had expired regarding the Jerusalem home.
Olmert currently faces three concurrent criminal investigations, after Mazuz ordered a probe earlier this month into suspicions the prime minsiter granted improper political favors while serving as industry and trade minister between 2003 and 2005.
In a different case, the prime minister was questioned by police this monthtwice over suspicions that he tried to rig the sale of Israel's second-largest bank, Leumi, in favor of two associates during his tenure as finance minister.
Olmert is also suspected of buying a Jerusalem home from a real estate developer at a substantial discount in return for helping the builder obtain construction permits from Jerusalem authorities.
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Archives) |
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I always said there was a leader in Israel that wasn't a crook and you didn't believe me...well who was right and who was wrong???Go Olmert, go Olmert....
she's noble by Nature. Lesser persons would argue that Mazuz had also dropped criminal investigation against Sharon for his Greek Island shenanigans. But Esther knows it's not so,Israel got the "Disengagement" in return ,ergo Mazuz's motives must have been as pure as today in the Olmert's case. Bravo Esther,God has bestowed on Israel only a few drops of such a noble blood as the one that pumps in your artheries and veins(not sclerotic I hope) and the rest,the unwashed masses should follow you and obey you.Amen.
Rich, there was such enormous so-called "public pressure" on Mazuz and Shendar to indict Olmert, that their having withstood this pressure and come to independant conclusions is reccommendation enough of their purity of purpose. This so-called "public pressure" can be compared to the irrational desire to see the blood of the fox at the conclusion of the hunt. There is nothing noble about it.
Sure, he has enough alleged wrongdoings against the Olmert and Org. to put them in a slamm for long, long time. Shendar is smart enough to realise that the high paid lawyers of Olmert will try to confuse the whole issues outstanding aginst their clients, that he Shendar is blocking any safety valve. Am I happy with that...well, I'll be satisfy to see Olmert out of the office so that the stain that dirts the political fraternity is removed, one step at a time. Good ridance of the Olmert's Macciavilism.
It seems as if Olmert can control everything. It seems as if every elected and/or appointed person in Israel is corrupt or subject to corruption. There is no confidence in any of the institutions of government or politics in Israel--from the Rabbinate to the President to the Prime Minister to the Winograd Commission- to the military establishment which one day praises Egypt and then attacks it the next, which one day says Iran will have the bomb tomorrow to saying it will be 5 years the next day. What is going on!
Declaratory information by the Prosecutor General and the consent of the Attorney General not to order a criminal investigation in his real estate deals in Tel Aviv of a lack of evidence, in Jerusalem on the basis under the expiry of the statute of limitations requires ?a little bit more details.? Especially the Jerusalem case with a report by the state comptroller did never mentioned the question of ?expiry / statute of limitation? when having been transferred from the State Comptroller to the AG with the recommendation to verify and act if needed. The State Comptroller itself is a former President of Haifa District Court and it is to be assumed that he would not have ?overlooked the basic fact of possible expiry?.? Here is a complete detailed information to the public and for Mr. Olmert?s record including the evaluation of the facts known already for sometime are more than necessary.
Who possibly could be surprised in the mini-kingdom of corruption: so-called Israel?