Middle East News
Israeli ex-premier Ehud Olmert indicted for bribery
Jan 5, 2012, 12:52 GMT
Jerusalem - Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert was indicted on bribery charges Thursday, in what local media dub one of the largest corruption scandals in Israeli history.
Olmert, 66, allegedly accepted money from real estate developers between 2003 and 2007, when he was mayor of Jerusalem. In return, he is said to have facilitated construction of a luxury project.
The complex in south-west Jerusalem is called Holyland.
Seventeen other senior Israeli officials were indicted along with Olmert, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009.
The ex-premier is already on trial for a series of other corruption charges, which forced him to step down in 2008, though he stayed on as acting prime minister until 2009.
Thursday's indictment charges that millions of dollars were paid in bribes to a long list of elected and public officials in the Jerusalem municipality to promote the Holyland project.
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