The State Prosecutor’s Office is investigating two more real estate deals involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in which he is suspected of taking bribes, an aide of Attorney General Menachem (Meni) Mazuz told Ometz - Citizens for Proper Administration, Judicial and Social Justice. Ometz filed a complaint in the matter.
One deal involves an apartment on Shilo St. in the Nahlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem, owned by Olmert’s wide, Eliza, which she used as a studio. Channel 10 News reported that the apartment was sold ten years ago to Uri Harkam, an Indian-American businessman, for $650,000, a price considered above its market value at the time.
Four years later, Harkam sold the apartment for $200,000 less than he paid for it. An investigation by Channel 10 News found that Harkam is listed one of Olmert’s donors, and gave Olmert’s party “United Jerusalem” $25,000 on the eve of Olmert’s election to mayor in 1993.
Olmert said in response, “The donation and the sale were reported to the State Comptroller.”
The second apartment is located in a luxury project on Sheinkin St. in Tel Aviv. Journalist Yoav Yitzhak broke the story. He claims that Olmert paid only $320,000 for the apartment, at least $100,000 less than its market value.
Mazuz told Ometz today that its complaint has been “sent for a preliminary investigation by the State Prosecutor’s Office, under normal procedures. When completed, it will be decided whether or not there are grounds for a criminal investigation by us or possibly by the State Comptroller has investigated, who is investigating other matters related to the prime minister’s apartments.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on September 25, 2006
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2006