Olmert interrogated by Israel’s’ National Fraud Unit

Friday May 02, 2008 23:40 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, was questioned under caution on Friday morning for nearly 90 minutes by the head of the National Fraud Unit in Israel, Brigadier-General Shlomi Ayalon and two other investigators.

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert

Israeli sources reported that this investigations placed Olmert in another problematic situation as new suspicions were raised regarding an affair which took place before he was elected as a Prime Minister.

 The sources added that if those suspicions prove to be true; Olmert might not be able to remain in office.

After the interrogation was concluded the officers who questioned Olmert rushed to the office of Israel’s Attorney General, Menahim Mazuz.

The former bureau chief of Olmert was also probed on the same affair, Israeli Ynetnews reported.

Ynetnews added that a senior legal official said that he believes that Olmert will not be able to remain in his office if the police present with solid evidence or if the suspicions prove to be true.

 The new probe is apparently related to bribery suspicions, and a senior official told the Ynetnews that this issue is “serious and a dramatic development”.  

 The details of the investigation could not be revealed as a gag order was issued while sources at the Israeli Ministry of Justice said that the gag order will be reexamined next week, and that several detail will be released and cleared for publication.

Olmert’s office issued a statement on Friday afternoon stating that the Prime Minister cooperated with the investigators “and will continue to cooperate”.

The Ynetnews also reported that this investigation is related to one of the ongoing investigations against Olmert and that new leads surfaced during a police probe into related incidents.

Olmert is currently facing three investigations related to his former positions as Minister of Trade, Minister of Labor and Minister of commerce.

Ynetnews also said that Shula Zaken, the former bureau chief of Olmert, was interrogated by the National Fraud Unit last Tuesday.

 Zaken was also interrogated in the past in connection with other investigations against Olmert in addition to undergoing investigation in a corruption case at the Israeli Tax Authority.

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