The Israel Police recommend indicting former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the Holyland real estate affair, along with former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky, former Bank Hapoalim (TASE: POLI) chairman Dan Dankner, and all the other major parties in the affair. The recommendations were sent to the Office of the State Prosecutor today.
The police advise indicting businessmen Hillel Cherney and Avigdor Kelner on bribery charges, former Olmert's bureau chief Shula Zaken. Regarding Olmert associate Uri Messer, it was decided that there is not enough evidence so there was no recommendatin to indict.
Olmert is suspected of taking bribes from the Holyland developers, Cherney and Kelner, when he was mayor of Jerusalem. Zaken and Messer served as the middlemen. Olmert is suspected of breach of trust, fraud, accepting a bribe, and money laundering.
The police statement said, "The Police National Fraud Unit has completed its investigation into the Holyland case, a wide-ranging case of public corruption related to the Holyland construction project in Jerusalem, as well as other real estate projects by Israel Salt Industries Ltd. Hazera Ltd., Tzook Manara Ltd., and Emek Hatzvaim Ltd."
The police collected almost 600 statements from 250 persons. 50 of the persons were questioned under caution. Investigations also took place in the US. 13 suspects were detained for varying periods, including Cherney, Kelner, Lupoliansky, Dan Dankner, Zaken, Messer, former Jerusalem city engineer Uri Sheetrit. All the defendants' appeals against their remand, including two filed with the Supreme Court, were dismissed.
The evidence given by the state's witness supports extensive independent evidence, including statements and documents, which are enough to support the suspicions. The police found evidentiary grounds for the suspects' involvement in several criminal acts.
Olmert is currently on trial at the Jerusalem District Court in two other cases: the Investment Promotions Center affair, and the envelope of money case involving Moshe Talansky. The prosecutor in case, Adv. Uri Korev, said in court that a link had been found with the Holyland case. "There is an interface between the new investigative material and the investigative material found in the case and in the indictment, especially regarding evidentiary aspects of financing Olmert's election campaigns," he said.
Olmert aid Amir Dan said in response, "Instead of recommending baseless recommendations, the police ought to stop concealing information from the public, and finally lift the scandalous gag order on the state's witness, which has been in place for six months already. It's important for the public to know the true and problematic details related to this figure, on whom the police are relying on so much.
"Olmert has said in the clearest way possible that he has never taken a bribe, either directly or indirectly. It is not surprising that, after months in which the police have been creating headlines, they lack the public courage to close the file. The police's recommendation has no real significance, since the police have no responsibility in this matter, except for creating headlines."
A member of Olmert's defense team said, "Every time that the State Prosecutor is harshly criticized, they or the police, rush to make announcements about Olmert to divert attention from them." The reference is to yesterday's dismissal of the charges against Bank Hapoalim managers in the Hayarkon Branch money laundering case yesterday.