Olmert hit by more corruption allegations

ISRAELI police unveiled new corruption allegations against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday, accusing him of getting multiple sources to pay for the same trips abroad so he could pocket the difference.

The details — made public shortly after police questioned Olmert for a third time in a burgeoning corruption scandal — could make it even tougher for the embattled Israeli leader to hang on to his job as prime minister.

After the questioning, police announced they had widened their investigation to include the funding of trips abroad made by Olmert when he was Jerusalem mayor and later a cabinet minister before he was elected prime minister in 2006.

According to the new allegations, police believe Olmert illicitly took some $100,000 (€63,000) by deceiving multiple sources into thinking they were paying for the same trip.

Since the corruption case against Olmert first broke in May, Olmert has denied any wrongdoing, saying he never took money for his private use.

He has promised to resign if indicted.

Investigators came to Olmert’s official Jerusalem residence yesterday to grill him for more than two hours in connection with the probe.

“While serving as mayor of Jerusalem and as minister of industry and trade, [Olmert] is suspected of seeking funding for flights abroad in his official capacity from several sources at the same time... including the state,” the Justice Ministry and police said in a joint statement.

Each of these sources was asked to pay in full for the same flight, it added.

Police suspect that the “considerable sums” that remained after the flight was paid for “were transferred by Olmert to a special account [his] travel agency administered for him. These monies were used to finance private trips abroad by Olmert and his family,” the statement said.

Police officials said Olmert also billed multiple sources for other expenses, such as hotels, on dozens of trips abroad — with the illicit funds amounting to some $100,000.

A senior police officer with the National Fraud Unit said the Rishon Tours travel agency “acted like a bank branch for the Olmert family”. Before going abroad, they’d contact the agency to check the balance in Olmert’s account there and “order tickets”, he said.

The agency, he said, also took care of hotel and other expenses the family incurred.