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Olmert to step down if indictedMiddleman Talansky denies bribery allegationsBy ICEJ News Olmert’s lawyers were trying to prevent Talansky from being questioned in the bribery scandal which erupted last week on the eve of Israel's independence celebrations, but Talansky was summoned to the National Fraud Unit's headquarters for questioning under caution on Monday afternoon. After hiding from the Israeli media for several days, Talansky finally spoke to reporters over the holiday weekend and said he “emphatically denies” the allegations that he raised substantial funds over a 15-year period when Olmert was Mayor of Jerusalem and then transferred them to Olmert through illegal channels for political favors. Talansky insists he was paid to raise donations for Israeli non-profit institutions and that any suspicion of paying money to Olmert or collecting large sums for the Israeli Prime Minister is false. "I never thought in any way that the money that I gave him — it was for the purpose of his becoming mayor or electioneering — was in any way illegal or wrong. [Olmert] was the prince of the Likud. He was going to be mayor [of Jerusalem]. He was a man that was respected, and I respected him, too, like everybody else... That's why we helped him [financially],” he told The Jerusalem Post. Olmert released his statement on Thursday evening after a Jerusalem court partially lifted a gag order in the case. Olmert has remained defiant in the face of a series of eight previous corruption scandals, but for the first time he indicated he would resign if indicted in this affair. Nonetheless, he also stated that he does not believe resignation at this point is wise. "Right now, I think it will be a mistake [to leave], and I have a job to accomplish, a vision to realize," he stated. Meanwhile on Monday, police officers raided the officers of the Jerusalem Municipality and confiscated various documents related to the case. Inside sources say they expect police to issue an indictment against the prime minister in this matter. Meantime, a Ynetnews and Dahaf poll shows that 60% of Israelis believe Olmert took bribes, while 59% feel that Olmert should resign or at least suspend himself for the duration of the investigation. The same survey also showed that if his Kadima party was headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, it would narrowly defeat opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud in a potential election race. |
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