Shula Zaken was not given immunity as a state witness and now she realizes she too is likely to be jailed for her illegal activities involving former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. With nothing to lose, the former Olmert confidant revealed her illegal activities as well as Olmert’s involvement in a number of cases.

Zaken went public and publicized Olmert’s alleged illegal activities which relate to the Rishon Tours case, the Talansky money case and the Holyland real estate case.

Olmert’s former bureau chief spent over eight hours providing testimony to the Israel Police 433 Yahav Unit in the hope of being granted state witness status against Olmert, but the prosecution at this stage of the game is unwilling to cut her a deal.

Channel 2 News reports that Zaken told close associates of Olmert’s illegal actions regarding Morris Talansky, as well as his explicit instructions to double bill for airline tickets (Rishon Tours case) so that his family’s tickets were paid by the state along with his own. Zaken blames Olmert of defrauding Jewish organizations in the double billing scandal, making a point of stating Olmert saw every ticket and knew exactly what was taking place.

Since the Talansky cash could not be registered as legitimate campaign donations, those funds were used to buy pens, cigars, tuxedoes and more, a personal slush fund for Olmert. She did not neglect to mention Olmert arranging a 500,000 NIS transfer of funds from the late state witness Shmuel Dechner to the account of Yossi Olmert, as the latter, Olmert’s brother, was in dire financial straits.

The Olmert legal team over the weekend accused Zaken of “vicious lies”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)