BICOM

Israel’s former-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared in court yesterday during a hearing to determine his sentence, following his conviction last month for bribery during his time as mayor of Jerusalem.

Appearing at the Tel Aviv District Court, Olmert continued to claim innocence despite the damning verdict against him several weeks ago, saying, “I never requested and never received bribes, neither directly nor indirectly, neither me nor my close friends nor my relatives.” He said that he would appeal his case to the Supreme Court which he hoped “will try to see the full picture and reach the conclusion that I voiced earlier: that I never requested and never received bribes.” Olmert emphasised his achievements as Mayor of Jerusalem, saying that “the city blossomed and stood resolutely and with unparalleled courage” during his tenure from 1993-2003.

Olmert was convicted of accepting bribes to smooth over the construction of the large ‘Holyland’ real estate project in Jerusalem. The presiding judge issued a scathing verdict at the time, saying that the case had “exposed governance that grew more corrupt and rotten over the years.” Earlier this week, the state prosecution asked that Olmert be handed a minimum sentence of six years in prison, plus a significant fine.

Olmert’s lawyer Eli Zohar yesterday asked that Judge David Rozen take Olmert’s extensive public service into account and hand him a sentence not exceeding 18 months in prison. Zohar said, “35 years of public service cannot end without giving this weight.” He also argued that Olmert had already been punished via “severe and intolerable” coverage of the case in the media.

As Prime Minister, Olmert led Israel during the 2006 Second Lebanon War and in 2007 held advanced peace talks with the Palestinian Authority. However, he resigned as Prime Minister in 2008 in order to fight a plethora of charges against him, which he had battled largely successfully until last month’s verdict.