Jerusalem: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was on Monday convicted in one of the country`s worst corruption scandals, a verdict that could make him the first premier to face prison and end his hopes for a political comeback.
A Tel Aviv District court handed down the historic verdict against 68-year-old Olmert after finding him guilty of bribery linked to the Holyland apartment complex deal here which took place before he became prime minister in 2006.
In 2010, Olmert was named the key suspect in the towering construction project on suspicion that he received hundreds of thousands of shekels for helping developers get the project past various legal and planning obstacles.
The 700-page verdict which branded Olmert as a liar ended the most serious legal battle the veteran politician had waged since he was forced to step down as prime minister in 2009 amid a flurry of corruption allegations.
A total of 13 government officials, developers and other businesspeople were also charged with Judge David Rosen slamming what he described as a "corrupt political system which has decayed over years and in which hundreds of thousands of shekels were transferred to elected officials".
According to the indictment, millions of dollars illegally changed hands to promote a series of property projects, including the controversial housing development in Jerusalem which required a radical change in zoning laws and earned the developers tax breaks and other benefits.
Olmert, a centrist credited internationally with working towards a peace settlement with the Palestinians, was Mayor of Jerusalem and Minister of Industry and Trade when these corrupt practices are said to have happened.
Often mentioned as a potential center-left alternative to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Olmert faces a maximum prison term of seven years under the conviction.
The conviction brings a dramatic end to Olmert`s long political career as under Israeli law he would have to wait for at least seven years after serving his sentence to run for office.
Reacting to the ruling, Olmert`s attorney Roi Blecher hinted that the former premier would appeal his conviction.
"This isn`t the last word," Blecher said after the verdict adding, "It is not a simple day for us, or Mr Olmert."
Sentencing arguments for Olmert are set to begin on April 28.
Completing nearly two years of what is being seen as the most high-profile case in independent Israel`s history, Judge Rosen also convicted former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, former Bank Hapoalim Chairman Dan Dankner, Olmert`s former chief-of-staff Shula Zaken and, in total, 10 out of 13 individual defendants.
Three of the defendants are corporations.
Olmert`s defence suffered a major jolt after Zaken entered into a plea bargain with the state.
As per the plea deal, she agreed to serve 11 months in jail and pay 100,000 shekels (USD 30,000) the state dropping its appeal to the Supreme Court against her acquittals on major charges (she was convicted on two minor counts) in the Jerusalem corruption trial and other provisions.
Though the state originally rejected Zaken`s new evidence as insufficient, at the beginning of last week she produced to the state a series of cassette tapes which the state said provide a "serious suspicion" of obstruction of justice and witness tampering against Olmert.
By moving forward with the verdict, the plea bargain reportedly could require Zaken to cooperate with the state in filing a new indictment against Olmert for the obstruction of justice charges.
The judge in his verdict said that Olmert lied in court and cited Zaken`s total devotion to her former boss as proof that he had to know about all of the bribes she was receiving from main state witness Shmuel Duchner.
Rosen even mentioned that Zaken got convicted in the prior Jerusalem corruption trial rather than testify against Olmert as an evidence of her loyalty towards him.
The former Israeli premier was accused of accepting over 1.5 million shekels (USD 300,000) in bribes (out of around 9 million shekels given to public officials in total), either directly or through Zaken or his brother Yossi to smooth over various legal and zoning obstacles around the infamous Holyland real estate project.
