Ehud Olmert
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin
Shula Zaken
Photo: Guy Assayag
Olmert, Zaken ask to delay court date
Former prime minister and his former bureau chief have court date scheduled for September 29, but their legal counsel claims they did not receive investigation material from prosecution. They offer alternative dates in middle of October
The lawyers representing former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
and his former bureau chief, Shula Zaken, submitted a request Wednesday to Jerusalem District Court asking to push back the September 29 court date during which their indictments
were slated to be read.
The defense legal team claimed that they did not receive the investigation materials. In addition, two of the lawyers, Attorney Navot Tel-Tzur and Attorney Yehuda Weinstein, said they are unable to attend the court date as currently scheduled because they have other hearings scheduled for the same day. The attorneys offered four alternative dates to hold the sitting, none more than a two week delay.
In their request submitted to the court, the defense attorneys claimed that they contacted the prosecution in order to receive an inclusive list of the evidence in their hands. Following the submission of a written request, the prosecution and the defense conferred via telephone and agreed that the prosecution would hand over the list to the defense within 10 days.
According to the defense, the prosecution at that time told them over the phone that they had currently received additional material from the US and were expecting even more evidentiary material that would be included in the list, which, according to the prosecution, would delay its preparation.
The defense lawyers claimed that receipt of the list would allow for effective and to-the-point copying of the court material and would clarify whether there are any discrepancies as to the extent of the evidence the defense could use.
The defense claimed that this would allow, if necessary, for interim requests to be submitted to the court and would allow for an appropriate and fitting response to the indictment to be scripted.
The defense lawyers emphasized that under the current circumstances, the indictment could not be read at the set date.
