As the Holyland trial moves along, prosecution witness Moshe Talansky testified on Sunday, 9 Shevat 5773 “Ehud Olmert telephoned and told me his brother Yossi ran for mayor of Ra’anana and lost and as a result, is in a difficult financial situation. He asked if I could assist.”

Talansky was a primary witness for the state in one of the former prime minister’s earlier trials, the ‘cash envelopes’ case, in which Olmert emerged without a conviction. The current Holyland trial is taking place in the Tel Aviv District Court before Justice David Rosen. Olmert is alleged to have accepted bribes to advance the major Jerusalem construction project.

The testimony of Talansky in this case strengthens the testimony of the main state witness, who already told the court he gave Yossi Olmert 500,000 NIS at Ehud Olmert’s behest despite barely knowing Yossi Olmert.

The state showed bank papers confirming that on November 4, 2004, Talansky transferred $30,000 to the Ra’anana bank account of Yossi Olmert, in line with the prosecution witness’ testimony. When Talansky was asked if he knows Yossi Olmert, he replied that he did not.

Olmert’s attorneys wish to challenge the integrity of Talansky’s testimony for in 2008 and 2010 he testified that he was never asked to assist Yossi Olmert. When Talansky was asked if he lied in earlier testimony, he stated he did not. He simply stated “as time passed I recalled that Ehud Olmert did ask me to assist his brother Yossi.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)