Did the trial of Israel's ex-Prime Minister change the course of history?
Olmert's case is one of several similar inquiries that have caused Israelis to question the trustworthiness of their government leaders in recent years. Olmert suggested that this case may have impacted discussions his government was having with the Palestinians.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speaks to the media at Jerusalem's District Court following a verdict hearing in his trial Tuesday, July 10. An Israeli court on Tuesday cleared Olmert of the major charges in a corruption trial that forced him from power. Olmert was found guilty of a lesser offense, and it was not clear whether that verdict could send him to jail.
Gali Tibbon/AP
JERUSALEM
An Israeli court on Tuesday cleared former Prime Minister Ehud聽Olmert聽of the most serious corruption charges against him, including fraud, concealing cash gifts and double billing, but convicted him on a lesser count of breach of trust.
The split decision capped a five-year corruption inquiry that drove聽Olmert聽from office in 2009 and helped usher in the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It is not the end to聽Olmert鈥檚聽legal problems. He still faces a bribery trial involving a controversial Jerusalem real estate development built while he was mayor of the city.
But Tuesday鈥檚 verdict was widely seen as a significant vindication for the former Kadima Party chairman, who had always insisted he was the innocent victim of a political witch hunt and that any improprieties or illegal activities were either fabricated or the result of mismanagement and disorganization in his office.
鈥淚 never defrauded anyone,鈥� an emotional聽Olmert聽told reporters outside the Jerusalem courtroom. 鈥淭here was no corruption.鈥�
Nevertheless聽Olmert, 66, becomes the highest-ranking political figure in Israel鈥檚 history to be convicted of criminal activity.
Sentencing will be announced in September.聽Olmert聽still could face three years in prison for the breach-of-trust conviction, legal experts said, though his attorneys predicted the former leader would avoid any jail time.
His case is one of a several corruption and misconduct inquiries that have shattered Israelis鈥� faith in their government leaders in recent years.
Last year, former Israeli President Moshe Katsav was convicted of rape and is serving a seven-year jail sentence. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is facing possible indictment over allegations of bribery and influence peddling, though formal charges have not been filed.
Michael Partem, an attorney who campaigns against corruption, said neither side in the聽Olmert聽case should be celebrating the court鈥檚 decision.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a victory for anybody,鈥� said Partem, vice chairman of the Jerusalem-based watchdog group Movement for Quality Government in Israel.
He predicted the case would further erode Israelis鈥� confidence in government institutions. 鈥淓ven before this case, Israelis has a very jaded view of their elected officials.鈥�
But Partem said he hoped that prosecutors and courts would remain vigilant and aggressive in tackling government corruption, even as some聽Olmert聽supporters advocated firing or reining in the state鈥檚 prosecutor in light of the acquittal on the most serious charges in the case.
The original 61-page indictment against聽Olmert聽accused him accepting cash-stuffed envelopes from American businessman Morris Talansky, double billing for travel expenses abroad and steering government contracts and grants to supporters. The allegations, involving several hundred thousand dollars, centered on聽Olmert鈥檚terms as Jerusalem mayor and trade minister, but they surfaced after he had been elected prime minister in 2006.
He could have faced five years in prison if convicted of the more serious charges.
In the end, the court ruled that聽Olmert聽was guilty only of trying to grant favors to a friend and former law associate while serving as Israel鈥檚 trade minister, which the court ruled was a conflict of interest. Judges said there was insufficient evidence to convict on the other charges.
Some believe the prosecution against聽Olmert聽may have changed the face of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because his government was actively involved in peace talks.聽Olmert聽has since said that he offered to make significant concessions toward creating a Palestinian state. Talks collapsed at the end of 2008 as聽Olmert鈥檚 administration began to crumble and never fully resumed under Netanyahu.
Palestinian leaders have said that a deal was not as close as聽Olmert聽has portrayed. But the former prime minister hinted Tuesday that the corruption case against him may have changed the course of history.
鈥淭he far-reaching implications of the decision to put me on trial, both inside and outside of Israel, cannot be overlooked,鈥� he said.