Not that it will amount to much, regarding olmert clinging to power.Israeli detectives claim to have further evidence to support allegations of fraud against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert has been accused of accepting donations from a New York businessman, Morris Talansky, who is the main witness in what has been dubbed 'the envelopes case.'
In his preliminary deposition in Jerusalem on 27 May, Talansky testified that he gave Olmert 150,000 dollars, mostly in cash, for political campaigns and travel expenses. According to the Israeli daily, Haaretz, a key official said 'the case against Olmert has grown stronger,' since detectives made inquiries in the US. Another senior official said that 'the case is progressing, and progressing nicely.'
Inquiries are expected to continue for the next two weeks, before Talansky's cross-examination on 17 July.
The team conducting the inquiries consists of attorney Uri Korev of the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office, and superintendents Lior Weiss and Tzahi Havkin of the National Fraud Unit. They travelled to New York, Washington, and Las Vegas to collect documents from banks and other sources, and to interview witnesses. The latest reports on the inquiries have strengthened the assessment among law enforcement officials that police will indeed recommend indicting the prime minister.
Despite calls for his resignation, Olmert has consistently denied any wrongdoing.