American businessman Morris Talansky burst out in anger at the conclusion of his testimony in Jerusalem District Court Tuesday afternoon, crying that the police and prosecutors "have ruined me and my family." He said he had a bad feeling for a long time that "something was wrong" in his giving tens of thousands of dollars to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"I was a victim," he said, adding that he never asked for any favors and did not receive anything in return for personal contributions that amounted to $150,000. He helped raised another $350,000 in contributions from friends, and the money was transferred in cash to Uri Messer and Shula Zaken, long-time personal friends and working acquaintances of the Prime Minister.