Livni calls on Olmert to take leave of absence

(Video) Kadima chairwoman says prime minister 'has no other option' but to leave office in light of Mazuz's decision to seek an indictment against him over double-billing affair. 'Olmert must conduct the battle to clear his name from home and not from his Knesset seat,' she adds
Roni Sofer

VIDEO - Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni has called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to take a leave of absence in light of Attorney General Menachem Mazuz's decision to seek an indictment against him over the Rishon Tours double-billing affair.

"There is no other option," Livni told an urgent Kadima faction meeting in Petah Tikva on Thursday.

Video courtesy of Infolive.tv

To substantiate her case Livni mentioned Olmert's past response to the sexual harassment allegations against former President Moshe Katsav and the de facto resignation of slain Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1977 following the exposure of an illegal joint dollar account he and his wife Leah had held in a Washington D.C. bank.

Mazuz's Decision

State says has solid case against Olmert / Aviad Glickman

(Video) Senior sources in State Prosecutor's Office insist they have sufficient evidence to indict, convict PM on Rishon Tours double-billing case. Gravest offence on docket carries seven year prison term

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"In 1977 Rabin did not hesitate and immediately announced he was taking a leave of absence. The PM, just as any other citizen, is innocent until proven guilty, but the citizen Ehud Olmert must conduct the battle (to clear his name) from home and not from his Knesset seat," said Livni, who replaced Olmert as Kadima chief following the September 17 primary elections.

"Israel cannot accept one more day in which he is acting as prime minister. It is a moral and practical trial (for the country). It is important that Kadima make its position known on a day like today."

The chairwoman continued to say that "the affair does not affect Olmert alone – it is about public norms and Kadima's moral stance. The existing norms are the foundation for the public's faith in the state's institutions. We are fighting for the State of Israel's path."