The Jerusalem District Prosecution informed Morris Talansky's attorneys
Sunday that it would not support the latter's motion to testify in a closed court.
Talansky is the key witness in
an ongoing police investigation against
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
for alleged multiple counts of fraud. Talansky was deposed by police and testified before
the Jerusalem District Court in July, but has since gone back to the United States. He is expected to return to Israel within
the next few weeks in order to resume his testimony.
| Tangled Legal Web |
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| State: US offered Talansky partial immunity / Aviad Glickman |
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Prosecutor's Office says US authorities offered key witness in Olmert fraud case limited immunity assuring him testimony against PM would not be used against him in pending money laundering case in US; but does not exclude records from future indictments |
| Full story |
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Talansky's attorneys, Jacques Chen and Brad Simon are currently trying to negotiate immunity for Talansky with Israeli authorities.
Talansky has yet to inform the State Prosecutor's Office whether or not he intends to return to Israel for the duration of his testimony. Should he choose not to do so, the State will be able to act on the guarantees he posted prior to leaving Israel and would seize several bank accounts and an apartment left as collateral.
The negotiations between the State Prosecutor's Office and Talansky's legal team began in late January, after the US judicial authorities decided to grant him partial immunity. The US federal authorities are currently investigating Talansky for alleged money laundering and filing false tax reports.
"Under the circumstances, we will be unable to comply with your motion to have the rest of Mr. Talansky's testimony heard behind closed doors and under a gag order," said the prosecution in its response to Talansky's attorneys' motion.
"Nevertheless, we sympathize with Mr. Talansky's concerns that reports of his testimony may be 'manipulated and taken out of context,' as you have phrased it, and therefore, in order to enable him to testify freely, we are willing to consider holding parts of the hearing behind closed doors and under a gag order."
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