In a rare but not unprecedented move, the Jerusalem District Court has given its stamp of approval for police to obtain testimony in the mounting investigation against the prime minister before an indictment is even followed. Apparently, the witness in question is a foreign resident, prompting State Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to file a request with the district court in compliance with the criminal law, section 117a.
The testimony is reportedly critical to the case, reports investigative journalist Yoav Yitzchak, requiring approval of either the magistrate’s or district court, depending on the severity of the matter at hand. In this case, the more senior court, the district level, was required.
The attorney general’s request is a unique and dramatic step in the case building against the prime minister, and the request was heard by a three-justice panel led by Jerusalem District Court President Mousya Arad. The law dictates that criminal proceedings against a presiding prime minister be held in the Jerusalem District Court.
In the meantime, Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court Judge Daniel Bari rejected calls from the media to lift the gag order on the case, but did permit publicizing the events reported in this article.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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Go Olmert go!!!
THE DETAILS OF THE ARTICLE WERE PUBLISHED IN A NEW YORK PAPER THIS MORNING. THE BUSINESS MAN IS FROM WOODMERE. CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF. THE MEDIA IN ISRAEL ISNT ALOUD TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT THEY MUST HAVE LEAKED IT TO NY AND IT WAS PUBLISHED IN THE NY POST.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York Post on Tuesday named an American businessman at the center of an Israeli police investigation which has sparked intense speculation that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert may be forced to resign.
The newspaper quoted unidentified sources as saying New York financier Morris Talansky was questioned in Israel and was set to disclose a role in passing cash to Olmert when he was mayor of Jerusalem in the 1990s.
Coded notes kept by an Olmert aide called Talansky “The Laundry Man”, the right-wing tabloid quoted a source as saying.
A Jerusalem court confirmed on Tuesday that prosecutors wanted to interview a foreign witness in the investigation.
But another court also extended a gag order on media after Olmert’s office confirmed on Friday the prime minister had been questioned. Lawyers advised Reuters it may face prosecution in Israel if it publishes any of the details it has of the case.
“A Long Island mogul is at the center of a sensational bribery scandal that could bring down … Olmert,” the Post said. “Talansky is apparently set to sing to Israeli authorities about his alleged role in the scheme, sources said.”
Olmert has hit out at “malicious rumors” surrounding the investigation, the latest of several in which he has denied all wrongdoing. His allies accuse right-wing opponents of trying to wreck his U.S.-sponsored peace talks with the Palestinians.
The Post said Talansky, a veteran philanthropist whose name has been associated with fund-raising for Israeli political causes, was questioned when he arrived in Israel to celebrate the Passover holiday, which began on April 26.
Talansky is the telephone subscriber at an apartment close to the Israeli government quarter in Jerusalem. The businessman was not available when Reuters called at the door on Tuesday.