Allegations towards Olmert Unfounded

PM faces calls to take leave after questioned under caution

2 May 2008

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was questioned under caution on Friday morning at his offial residence in Jerusalem, prompting a number of Knesset members to call on his to suspend himself pending the investigations.

The questioning began at 10 A.M. and lasted for about an hour and a half. The reason for the investigation is not known. Olmert is a suspect in several corruption affairs involving real estate deals and questionable political appointments, but has never been charged.

Shelly Yachimovich, a member of Olmert's ruling coalition from the Labor Party, on Thursday called the scope of charges against Olmert unprecedented and said he should suspend himself immediately.

"It has been proven beyond any doubt that the prime minister can't be under serial investigations and also suspected of crimes and also lead the country," she told Israel Radio.

Likud party chairman Gideon Sa'ar, meanwhile, urged the Labor Party to quit the government coalition immediately, calling it a "government under constant suspicion."

"Olmert is the prime minister who has been investigated more than anyt other in the history of Israel. The Labor Party is responsible for the survival of the coalition and if it stands to present values, control of law and clean hands, it needs to quit immediately," he said.

MK Zahava Gal-On also called on the prime minister to take temporary leave pending the proceedings of the investiagtions, Israel Radio reported.

Detectives from the national police fraud unit on Wednesday had asked to meet with Olmert urgently, within 48 hours. The summons were made after receiving special permission from the attorney general.

The police attempted to keep the questioning secret but it was reported last night by Channel 2 television news. Despite the report and despite previous promises by National Police Commissioner David Cohen and other senior police officials to notify the media in advance about Olmert's investigation, national police headquarters Thursday refused to comment.

"The prime minister intends to fully cooperate with law enforcement officials as he has in the past and he is convinced that once the truth is disclosed in the framework of the police investigation, the suspicions against him will disappear," a statement issued Thursday by the Prime Minister's Office said.

It is not known which affair Olmert was questioned about. In the past, it was reported that three concurrent investigations were being conducted against Olmert: the Investment Center affair, the affair surrounding political appointments in the Small Business Authority and the house on Cremieux Street affair.

Olmert has been questioned in the past under caution. Last October a police fraud unit team came to his home to take statements regarding changes in the tender for Bank Leumi. At the time, Olmert was suspected of having acted to alter the conditions of the tender to favor a friend, Frank Lowy, who was considering submitting a bid. Olmert was questioned for two days, following which he fell ill with a cold. In the end, the police announced that Olmert was not suspected of criminal behavior in connection with the affair.

A few months before that, detectives came to the prime minister's residence to hear Olmert's version of events vis-a-vis the Tax Authority affair. At the time the police announced that Olmert was not a suspect in the affair, but was merely being questioned over the appointment process for senior officials in the organization and over the role of his office manager, Shula Zaken, in the affair.

In November, the fraud unit conducted a major evidence-gathering operation relating to investigations against Olmert. One hundred detectives raided 20 different sites simultaneously, confiscating a large number of computers and documents. The material involved all three of the affairs reportedly being investigated.

Among the sites raided was the office of the minister of trade and industry and other offices in the ministry; the Israel Lands Administration; the employment bureau; the Small Business Authority and the Investments Center. Documents were also collected from the offices of attorney Uri Messer, the Alumot real estate developer, the postal authority and the Jerusalem municipality.

Police secrecy over Olmert probe leads to questions

Senior Israel Police officials and investigators maintained a veil of secrecy Thursday over the circumstances of the impromptu questioning of Olmert.

Police intended to keep word of the questioning secret from the public, yet the leak to Channel 2 TV caught the upper echelons of the police and the spokesmen off guard. Repeated inquiries from the press were met with no comment.

In the absence of an adequate explanation as to the reasons behind the surprise investigation, one can only speculate as to why the police chose this particular course of action:

Have there been any significant surprise developments in one or more of the current investigations ongoing against the prime minister?

Have witnesses given incriminating statements to police against Olmert or his aides with reference to one or more of the investigations against him, which would then prompt authorities to seek out the premier for his version of events?

Do investigators suspect Olmert, a sitting prime minister, may take steps to interfere with the investigation against him - steps which would include coordinating testimony or destroying evidence? If the premier is made aware of which pieces of evidence the police are in possession of, would the police move quickly in questioning him before he would have the opportunity to tamper with or destroy such evidence?

Police sources hinted Thursday that, due to the leak, investigators are likely to postpone the questioning. In years prior, police have carried out "investigation drills" in which they announce, by way of the news media, their intention to question a particular public figure. Do police want to keep tabs on those being investigated so as to observe their reactions to news of Olmert's imminent questioning? Will the questioning be eventually cancelled?

Given the police silence on the matter, it is unclear whether the evidence being used by investigators forms the basis of an investigation in which Olmert is the prime suspect, or whether his statements are needed to incriminate somebody else.

Why did the police commissioner, the head of the investigators unit, and the head of the police fraud unit elect not to notify the public of their intention to question the prime minister today (Friday), despite prior understandings according to which news of any investigation of the prime minister will be made available to the public? Why did the police high command "go underground" Thursday and refuse to respond to questions concerning the investigation?

Note:

This type of situation seems to be growing these days and actually comes by one central source and those that are being accused of wrongdoing are not guilty.

As for Jewish PM Ehud Olmert having to take leave of office, this is not necessary, but it would be detrimental to the safety of the Jewish people if he did so, in my opinion.