Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should go to trial for appointing political allies in an illegal manner, police said Monday. The call to indict came just hours after Attorney General Menachem Mazuz announced that Olmert would not face trial in a bribery case.
In October 2007, police began investigating allegations that Olmert had inappropriately promoted political allies in the Investments Center when serving as Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor. The allegations first came to light in a report presented by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss in 2006.
On Monday, police made their findings public, saying they had revealed corruption on a much wider scale than was originally suspected. Olmert is now accused of having improperly promoted acquaintances while serving in a variety of positions, including Minister of Communications, Finance Minister, head of the Israel Broadcasting Authority and head of the Israel Lands Authority.
In addition, the former PM is accused of promoting or otherwise giving benefits in more than 250 cases, in a wide range of organizations that includes the Postal Company, the communications giant Bezeq, and the Labor Court. His former assistants Oved Yehezkel and Raanan Dinur are suspected of involvement in the affair as well.
The primary beneficiaries of Olmert's dealings were Likud members, police say, particularly members of the party's central committee. Many of the beneficiaries were known to Olmert personally.
Fraud Unit Commander Shlomi Ayalon presented his unit's findings to Commander Yoav Seglovitch, head of Police Intelligence, on Monday. Seglovitch approved of the Fraud Unit's recommendation, and forwarded the file to the State Prosecutors Office.
Olmert's media advisor, Amir Dan, accused police of attempting to hide the fact that they had dragged out the “Cremieux Street affair” by bringing a new affair to the public's attention. “The public is sick of the way the prosecutors and police create media spin,” Dan said.