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Olmert: Fighting Mazuz and cancer
Photo: Reuters
Mazuz: Intractable
Photo: Gil Yohanan

Olmert asks to postpone hearing

In petition to High Court, former prime minister explains that Attorney General Mazuz intractable about court date, even though request driven by Olmert's cancer treatments abroad

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is facing a third criminal indictment on charges of fraud and breach of trust, petitioned the High Court Justice on Tuesday asking to postpone a hearing on the charges filed by Attorney General Menachem Mazuz.

 

Olmert's lawyers have been corresponding with the AG's office about the date of the hearing, currently set for April 19, claiming that medical experts recommended the former PM seek immediate treatment for prostate cancer.

 

According to the petition, Olmert is meant to fly to the United States next week for treatments since now that his tenure has ended he finally has time to treat the disease in a systematic manner.

 

Given the treatment schedule, the petition notes, Olmert will not have time to meet with his lawyers and properly prepare for the hearing.

 

They further emphasized that there was no need to insist on such a close court date since Olmert is no longer a public figure but rather a private citizen now, and as such there is no reason to insist on expediting the investigation process.

 

Additionally, Olmert explains that there is an additional legal basis for postponing the hearing.

 

He claims in the petition that new information came to light in two out of three investigations against him and that, since the three cases are by Mazuz' own admissions related, the prosecutor's office needs to receive the new information.

 

Mazuz had already said he plans to indict the former prime minister in the Rishon Tours double-billing affair on charges of billing multiple public organizations, including charities, to finance dozens of trips his family took abroad.

 

The AG also said he intends to indict Olmert in the "cash envelopes" affair, on charges of illegally receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from US financier Morris Talansky.

 


פרסום ראשון: 04.07.09, 14:30
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