IPS denies Olmert meeting with his lawyers
In a further development stemming from the seizure of classified materials from the prison cell of Ehud Olmert and from his lawyer, the former prime minister is now being prevented from meeting with his legal representatives.
Olmert's lawyer Shani Illouz arrived at the prison ahead of a hearing regarding Olmert's upcoming release which is scheduled for next month, passed the security check and was then told that she is not allowed to meet her client.
Olmert's second lawyer Eli Zohar was told beforehand that he would not be allowed to meet with his client and so did not travel to the prison.
The IPS says that this decision was made following the recent seizure of classified information found in Olmert's prison cell and at the possession of his lawyer.
Saturday, the IPS ordered that Ehud Olmert be denied prison vacations and telephone calls until further notice, except for conversations with his lawyers—which has now also been disallowed.
The IPS is checking whether the classified materials found in the possession of Olmert and his lawyer are related to the book Olmert is writing in prison, where he is serving time after having been convicted of corruption. The matter was transferred to senior officials in the Ministry of Justice for treatment, and they will consider what to do next.
Thursday, one of Olmert's lawyers visited him in prison. The documents were seized during that visit. Additional documents were also seized that lacked approval from the person responsible for information security in the Ministry of Defense.
As a result of the incident, that person ordered the investigation of the matter and involved the intelligence services of the IPS.
The prisoner's lawyer issued a statement that claimed: "Olmert does not need any authorization regarding his ties to Israel's national security. He never leaked, either during his term or since, anything sensitive to security or intelligence matters that could have harmed the State of Israel.
"During his prison sentence, Olmert wrote an autobiographical book about his life and his actions concerning social, economic and defense issues. This book was transferred in its entirety to (the Military) Censor over two months ago and no one, especially Mr. Olmert, has any intention to publish it without their approval.
"Beyond the book, no classified information was leaked, transferred or published by Mr. Olmert."
(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
