Verdict near in trial of former Israeli PM
JERUSALEM -- An Israeli court will deliver a verdict today in the corruption trial of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, capping a five-year saga that has plunged the country into uncharted legal waters.
Olmert could become the first Israeli ex-premier to be convicted of a serious crime that carries a prison term. An acquittal, on the other hand, could raise questions about whether an overzealous prosecution hounded him from office.
"There is no precedent to this," said legal analyst Emanuel Gross.
Under Israeli legal precedent, a cabinet minister, including a premier, must step down if he is indicted on a charge for a serious crime. Olmert was charged in September 2009, and he resigned.
The verdicts today cover three separate cases: illegally accepting funds from an American supporter, double-billing Jewish groups for trips abroad and giving jobs to unqualified political cronies.
The trial covered offenses allegedly committed before Olmert became prime minister, while he served as mayor of Jerusalem and later as a cabinet minister. The charges were filed only after he became premier.
If convicted on all of the charges, Olmert could face up to five years in prison. -- AP
'It's definitely a destination' NewsdayTV's Doug Geed takes us "Out East," and shows us the Long Island Aquarium, a comfort food restaurant in Baiting Hollow, a Riverhead greenhouse and Albert Einstein's connections to the East End.
'It's definitely a destination' NewsdayTV's Doug Geed takes us "Out East," and shows us the Long Island Aquarium, a comfort food restaurant in Baiting Hollow, a Riverhead greenhouse and Albert Einstein's connections to the East End.
