Court Imposes Media Blackout on Olmert's Criminal Investigation
Court Imposes Media Blackout on Olmert's Criminal Investigation

The Tel Aviv District Court rejected the media's request to allow publication of bribery suspicions against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert until Sunday.

Contrary to what had been widely surmised, the court rejected out of hand the request to lift the gag order even slightly.  Reports had been rife that if the court allowed the publication of even some of the details of the latest suspicions against Olmert, the news would "shake the country."

The State Prosecution, defending its insistence on maintaining the gag order, said, inter alia, that it would not be appropriate to have Independence Day and Memorial Day headlines and news reports saturated with reports of accusations against the Prime Minister.  Memorial Day begins Tuesday night, and Independence Day begins Wednesday night.

However, it is permitted to report that the prosecution and police have asked to have an unnamed foreign citizen - clearly a central figure in the case - give "early testimony" in the case.  This unusual request signifies that the police fear that the central figure may not be able to testify later on, when and if an indictment is handed down and the trial begins.

The Jerusalem District Court will hold a hearing on the request Tuesday afternoon, in the presence of representatives of the police, the State Prosecution, Olmert, and his long-time aide Shula Zaken, who is also a suspect in the case.

"Early testimony" implies that both the defense and the prosecution will be able to question the witness.

Ms. Zaken, Olmert's chief-of-staff, was interrogated Tuesday for the fourth time in this case.  She has maintained the right to remain silent on the previous occasions.  She and at least one other former close friend of Olmert have been mentioned as possible candidates to turn State's witness in exchange for immunity.

All that is officially known about the criminal investigation against Mr. Olmert is that it is the sixth one since he took office in January 2006, and that sources close to the case say the evidence against him is potentially the strongest that has been produced to date.

The Haaretz newspaper reports on yet another aspect of Olmert's financial dealings: In 2005, he and his wife received a discount of over $8,000 when they lodged at the Peninsual Hotel in New York City, owned by businessman Michael Kaduri.  Olmert was Minister of Industry and Trade at the time.

Most of Olmert's party colleagues in Kadima, as well as those of Kadima's coalition partners Labor and Shas, have remained neutral on the scandal, preferring to sit on the fence until the picture becomes clearer.  Two Kadima MKs, however - Marina Solodkin and Ze'ev Elkin - have called for Olmert to either resign, suspend himself, and/or be replaced by another Kadima MK.  Labor's Shelly Yechimovitch, too, has called for Olmert to step down.