BICOM

Israel’s media this morning is thoroughly dominated by yesterday’s scathing verdict against former-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, which saw him convicted of bribery over the ‘Holyland’ real estate project during his time as Jerusalem Mayor.

Judge David Rozen’s 700-page ruling was damning, concluding that Olmert had personally received £96,000 in bribes, declaring “I reject Olmert’s account of events entirely … We’re talking about corrupt and filthy practices.” Olmert’s legal aides said that an appeal is likely and a close Olmert confidant Amir Dan told AP, “We will study the case closely, and this is probably not the end.” Nonetheless, Olmert looks set to become Israel’s first former-Prime Minister to be serve a prison sentence, with several commentators predicting that he could receive up to seven years in prison when sentencing takes place later this month. Israel’s President Shimon Peres commented, “It’s a sad day for my country.”

Olmert was not the only high-profile figure from Israel’s business and political elites to be found guilty of smoothing over the ‘Holyland’ project through bribery and corruption. Rozen also convicted several other defendants including former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski and former Bank Hapoalim Chairman Danny Dankner. This morning’s Maariv-NRG headline describes Olmert heading “a march of corruption which polluted our lives.” Meanwhile, both Yediot Ahronot and Israel Hayom have produced enlarged editions this morning in order to accommodate their extensive coverage of the case.

Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Sima Kadmon describes “One after the next, politicians and businesspersons of the first rank were convicted of terribly grave offenses,” adding that Judge Rozen “took us on a virtual 360 degree tour of the world of darkness.” Meanwhile, in Haaretz, Ari Shavit says that the case “is shaping up to be the biggest corruption scandal in Israel’s history” and condemns Olmert for having “nearly turned the one country we have into a corrupt kingdom of degeneration.”