Police suspect Olmert gave brother bribe money
Investigators suspect former prime minister handed cash from Holyland affair to brother in US
The prosecution's international department has been asked by police to carry out a probe on the origin of funds received by Yossi Olmert. Police suspect cash from suspects in the Holyland bribe scandal made its way out of Israel.
Yossi Olmert, a resident of Raanana and veteran member of the Likud, came into debt a few years ago following a number of failed business deals and attempts to enter into a political career. He left Israel for an indeterminate time.
Olmert's attorneys persist in denying all allegations against him. "This never happened. We cannot believe that Israel Police is actually occupying itself with this. If this report has a grain of truth in it and is not the outcome of some delusion, then there is indeed no limit to the base and fallacious level this investigation can reach," the defense team said in a statement.
The national Fraud Investigation Unit suspects Ehud Olmert, who is currently standing trial for three other fraud-related cases, gave his brother around a quarter of a million dollars he received from businessmen involved in the Holyland affair.
Police suspect the large bribes helped the Holyland realty project grow by 1,200% over what would have been approved according to the original plans. Investigators suspect Jerusalem Municipality officials were bribed in a continuous and systematic fashion to this end.
Eli Senyor contributed to this report
