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| Ehud Olmert, Israeli Ex-Premier, Is Sentenced to 8 Months in Jail | Ehud Olmert, Israeli Ex-Premier, Is Sentenced to 8 Months in Jail |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| JERUSALEM — Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister who was forced out of office amid allegations of corruption, was sentenced on Monday to eight months in jail for fraud and breach of trust in a case involving an American businessman. | JERUSALEM — Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister who was forced out of office amid allegations of corruption, was sentenced on Monday to eight months in jail for fraud and breach of trust in a case involving an American businessman. |
| The Jerusalem District Court agreed to postpone the start of the prison sentence by 45 days to allow time for an appeal on behalf of Mr. Olmert, who is already contesting a six-year sentence for taking bribes in a different case involving the construction of a huge housing complex in Jerusalem. | The Jerusalem District Court agreed to postpone the start of the prison sentence by 45 days to allow time for an appeal on behalf of Mr. Olmert, who is already contesting a six-year sentence for taking bribes in a different case involving the construction of a huge housing complex in Jerusalem. |
| Mr. Olmert, who was convicted in the case in March, also received on Monday an eight-month suspended sentence and was fined 100,000 shekels, or about $26,000, in the case, which was pivotal in ending his political career. | Mr. Olmert, who was convicted in the case in March, also received on Monday an eight-month suspended sentence and was fined 100,000 shekels, or about $26,000, in the case, which was pivotal in ending his political career. |
| Uri Korb, the state prosecutor in the case, said the court had clearly determined that Mr. Olmert’s conduct was tainted by “a black flag of immorality and corruption.” The prosecution had asked for a prison sentence of more than a year, but the court said it had taken into consideration Mr. Olmert’s significant contribution to the state and to Israeli society. | Uri Korb, the state prosecutor in the case, said the court had clearly determined that Mr. Olmert’s conduct was tainted by “a black flag of immorality and corruption.” The prosecution had asked for a prison sentence of more than a year, but the court said it had taken into consideration Mr. Olmert’s significant contribution to the state and to Israeli society. |
| Mr. Olmert, who has been convicted on corruption charges three times since 2012, was “disappointed” with the sentence, according to one of his lawyers, Eyal Rosovsky, who said the former prime minister and his defense team intended to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court. | Mr. Olmert, who has been convicted on corruption charges three times since 2012, was “disappointed” with the sentence, according to one of his lawyers, Eyal Rosovsky, who said the former prime minister and his defense team intended to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court. |
| The American businessman involved in the case, Morris Talansky, provided testimony in a Jerusalem court in 2008 that rocked the Israeli political and legal establishment and astonished the Israeli public. | The American businessman involved in the case, Morris Talansky, provided testimony in a Jerusalem court in 2008 that rocked the Israeli political and legal establishment and astonished the Israeli public. |
| Mr. Talansky was said to have provided Mr. Olmert with hundreds of thousands of dollars, much of it in cash stuffed into envelopes, which Mr. Olmert kept in a secret fund. State prosecutors have said that the money transfers began when Mr. Olmert ran for mayor of Jerusalem in the early 1990s and continued until late 2005, when Mr. Olmert was minister of industry and trade. | Mr. Talansky was said to have provided Mr. Olmert with hundreds of thousands of dollars, much of it in cash stuffed into envelopes, which Mr. Olmert kept in a secret fund. State prosecutors have said that the money transfers began when Mr. Olmert ran for mayor of Jerusalem in the early 1990s and continued until late 2005, when Mr. Olmert was minister of industry and trade. |
| Mr. Olmert became prime minister in early 2006, and the highly publicized police investigations into his conduct dogged his three-year tenure in that office. | Mr. Olmert became prime minister in early 2006, and the highly publicized police investigations into his conduct dogged his three-year tenure in that office. |
| The Talansky case has hinged on whether the money, earmarked for political contributions, was used by Mr. Olmert for private purposes. Mr. Olmert was acquitted on that count in July 2012, when the court ruled that the evidence did not prove beyond doubt that Mr. Olmert had acted with criminal intent. | The Talansky case has hinged on whether the money, earmarked for political contributions, was used by Mr. Olmert for private purposes. Mr. Olmert was acquitted on that count in July 2012, when the court ruled that the evidence did not prove beyond doubt that Mr. Olmert had acted with criminal intent. |
| But a retrial was ordered after Shula Zaken, Mr. Olmert’s longtime aide and confidante, became a state witness and testified against him. Ms. Zaken provided the police with her diaries and with tapes she had made of incriminating conversations with Mr. Olmert indicating that he had used money from the Talansky fund to supplement Ms. Zaken’s salary while he was serving as minister of industry and trade. | But a retrial was ordered after Shula Zaken, Mr. Olmert’s longtime aide and confidante, became a state witness and testified against him. Ms. Zaken provided the police with her diaries and with tapes she had made of incriminating conversations with Mr. Olmert indicating that he had used money from the Talansky fund to supplement Ms. Zaken’s salary while he was serving as minister of industry and trade. |
| Mr. Rosovsky, the defense attorney, told reporters outside the courtroom that the court still had not proved that Mr. Olmert used the money for personal reasons. | |
| In his 2008 testimony, Mr. Talansky, a fund-raiser and financier, said that his generosity reflected his great admiration for Mr. Olmert and that Mr. Olmert represented “new leadership.” | |
| Mr. Talansky denied that he had ever expected anything in return. In November 2005, Mr. Olmert and Ms. Zaken introduced Mr. Talansky to billionaires in the hotel industry to help promote Mr. Talansky’s new minibar business. But Mr. Talansky told the court that those introductions had not borne fruit, and that one of the billionaires had hung up on him when he called. | |
| Mr. Olmert has, in the past, vehemently denied receiving cash in envelopes. The prosecution noted that Mr. Olmert had not expressed remorse for his actions, although Mr. Olmert has acknowledged making errors. | Mr. Olmert has, in the past, vehemently denied receiving cash in envelopes. The prosecution noted that Mr. Olmert had not expressed remorse for his actions, although Mr. Olmert has acknowledged making errors. |
| Meir Dagan, a former chief of the Israeli spy agency Mossad, acted as a character witness for Mr. Olmert, telling the court that Mr. Olmert “took very courageous decisions during his term as prime minister of Israel” that contributed greatly to Israel’s security. | Meir Dagan, a former chief of the Israeli spy agency Mossad, acted as a character witness for Mr. Olmert, telling the court that Mr. Olmert “took very courageous decisions during his term as prime minister of Israel” that contributed greatly to Israel’s security. |
| Mr. Olmert’s defense team also presented the court with a letter from Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and special representative of the so-called international Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators, praising Mr. Olmert’s efforts to achieve peace in the region. | Mr. Olmert’s defense team also presented the court with a letter from Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and special representative of the so-called international Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators, praising Mr. Olmert’s efforts to achieve peace in the region. |
| Mr. Blair wrote that he knew that he “could always rely on Mr. Olmert’s word,” according to court documents. | Mr. Blair wrote that he knew that he “could always rely on Mr. Olmert’s word,” according to court documents. |
| Nevertheless, the judges wrote in their ruling that Mr. Olmert’s high position had added a “particular severity” to the fact that he secretly held such a significant amount of money for so long, without reporting it to the relevant authorities. | Nevertheless, the judges wrote in their ruling that Mr. Olmert’s high position had added a “particular severity” to the fact that he secretly held such a significant amount of money for so long, without reporting it to the relevant authorities. |