Eighteen months after the District Court sentenced him to a six-year prison sentence after he was convicted on corruption charges in the Holyland affair, former prime minister Ehud Olmert has had his sentence reduced to one and a half years by the Supreme Court. The court handed down its decisions on all the appeals by all those convicted in the Holyland trial this morning.
Olmert was convicted in the Tel Aviv District Court of accepting bribes amounting to over half a million shekels from the developers of the Holyland project in Jerusalem's Bayit Vegan neighborhood, through the project manager who turned state's witness, Shmuel Dechner, when he was mayor of the city. Olmert allegedly transferred the money to his brother Yossi Olmert, who was in financial difficulties.
Today, Olmert was acquitted by a majority decision on the main bribery charge. He will start to serve his sentence on January 15, 2016, and will thereby become the first prime minister of Israel to be jailed.
At the start of today's proceedings, the Supreme Court partially exonerated Hillel Cherney and Avigdor Kellner. The appeals of Dan Dankner and Meir Rabin were mostly dismissed. Dankner will go to jail for two years. Uri Lupolianski's six-year prison sentence was reduced to six months public service, apparently because of his ill health. The seven-year sentence on former Jerusalem city engineer Uri Sheetrit was upheld.
Olmert's main line of defense in his appeal was that in his verdict Tel Aviv District Court judge David Rozen gave decisive weight to the evidence of Dechner despite the fact that he himself had indicated that this evidence was not to be considered reliable. Dechner died before he could be cross-examined by counsel for the defense.
"A huge weight was removed from my heart when the Supreme Court acquitted me on the main charge, which was the Holyland affair," Olmert said after the hearing, "The Supreme Court found me innocent in that affair, which had been black, disturbing cloud oppressing me. I have never offered or received a bribe. I say this today too, but I respect the decision of the judges. These have been difficult and trying years." Olmert thanked the people who had encouraged and supported him during this period.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 29, 2015
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 29, 2015
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015