In its latest report on the investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the New York Times has published new details on the allegations in the case.
The newspaper reported over the weekend that American businessman Morris (Moshe) Talansky, who has remained in Israel at the behest of state investigators, covered Olmert's one-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington DC in 2005 during his tenure as a minister in the government of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Talansky picked up the tab for the hotel, at $4,717 a night, according to legal documents filed with the State Supreme Court in Nassau County, New York.
The invoice was sent to the Minibar company, which Talansky had helped at the time, requesting it pay the bill for "a senior Israeli cabinet member that had no relation to the business." The company's attorney, William J. Davis, confirmed that Minibar paid the bill but said he did not know whether Olmert knew who paid the bill.