Holyland affair: Lupolianski to be released to house arrest
Police to release former Jerusalem mayor to house arrest under restricted conditions, hold-departure order. Additional former senior figures at city municipality to be questioned next week
Former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, who is suspected of receiving bribes in the Holyland corruption affair will most likely be released to house arrest on Sunday.
The police will not request to extend Lupolianski's remand, but to release him under restricting conditions. Police also plan to issue a hold-departure order against him.
The former mayor was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of taking a bribe, money laundering, conspiring to commit a crime, fraud, breach of trust and tax offenses.
According to the police, during his stint at the Jerusalem Municipality, Lupolianski demanded and received bribes from the Holyland project's entrepreneurs through a third party.
Lupolianski was deputy mayor and chairman of the municipality’s planning and construction committee between 1993 and 2003, when the Holyland plan was approved. He went on to become a member of the National Building and Planning Committee when he was mayor from 2003 to 2008.
The sums were allegedly received as donations to the Yad Sarah association. By 1999 he had taken some NIS 1.5 million (about $405,000) and from 2000 to 2006 he allegedly took an additional NIS 1.4 ($378,000) million.
In addition, Lupolianski is suspected of receiving $30,000 for his personal use and in order to pay political activists during the Jerusalem mayoral elections in 2003, as well as $100,000 in 2005 as a donation to an advanced Judaic studies program run by his son.
In exchange for the bribe, Lupolianski allegedly worked to advance the Holyland project in accordance with the entrepreneurs' demands.
During his tenure as deputy mayor from 1993 to 2003, and later as mayor from 2003 to 2008, Lupolianski allegedly worked to speed up the discussion and approval of the city construction plan in the local planning and construction committee, to postpone the hearing of nearly 1,000 objections, to prevent lowering the buildings by two floors, to lower the land betterment taxes and to support the project's city construction plans.
Over the next week, police are expected to continue investigating Holyland suspects and may arrest more former Jerusalem Municipality figures.
