Politicians from both Kadima and the National Union parties washed their hands of the first indictments ever to be filed against a Prime Minister despite the charges reflecting grave problems from within the governmental system.
“The courts will decide,” said Knesset Member Yoel Hasson from the Kadima party that Olmert headed as Prime Minister for three years before his problems forced him to step down last year. “On this difficult day, we must not forget Olmert’s rich contributions. He was responsible for, among other things, historic steps in security that will take several years before they are known”
Tzipi Livni, who replaced Olmert as party chairperson, also distanced herself from the indictments. Her office said she “always has been very particular to separate politics from law enforcement on personal matters." National Union MK Aryeh Eldad, a member of the Knesset Ethics Committee and a leading critic of government corruption, stated, “The matter of Olmert, as a citizen who was indicted for grave charges of corruption, will be heard in the court and is not a day-to-day issue for the political system since he no longer serves as Prime Minister.”
Olmert continued to maintain his innocence, and his spokesman Amir Dan charged that government prosecutors had no choice other than to indict Olmert “after they removed a prime minister from the government.” He vowed that the indictments will have a conclusion similar to previous cases that were closed without an indictment.
The details of the charges against the former Prime Minister reveal a web of contacts within the government that went far beyond the individual. Government prosecutors called nearly 300 witnesses before indicting Olmert as well as his former personal secretary, Shula Zalken.
The charges also indicate how Cabinet ministers can hide their sources of income by simply signing documents containing false information, which the current system does not allow for any double-checking.
The indictments are among many that have been filed against Israeli politicians and even former President Moshe Katzav for misconduct in office.
Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz has indicted Kadima’s former Justice Minister Chaim Ramon and the party’s former Finance Ministry Avraham Hirschson after having closed previous cases of bribery and breach of trust against Olmert as well as former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Olmert was indicted on Sunday for bribery, tax evasion, falsifying documents and breach of public trust in three cases. The most widely known is the “Talansky affair," in which American businessman Moshe Talansky allegedly passed on to Olmert huge sums of cash, usually through Zaken.
Olmert and Zaken also were indicted for allegedly pocketing bank deposits from a “double billing” system at Rishon Tours, at the expense of organizations that included the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and State of Israel Bonds. He also was charged for interference in favor of friends in the Investment Center case.