BICOM

Israel’s former-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was sentenced this morning to six years in prison, having been found guilty several weeks ago of bribery during his time as Mayor of Jerusalem. He becomes the first Israeli Prime Minster to be imprisoned.

Olmert was convicted at the end of March of accepting bribes to smooth over the construction of the large ‘Holyland’ real estate project, during his time as mayor from 1993-2003. 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.” Olmert has been given a hefty fine along with his prison term, and other defendants convicted in the trial have received sentences ranging from three and half to seven years.

Less than an hour before this morning’s hearing at Tel Aviv District Court, Olmert continued to profess his innocence, releasing a statement saying, “This is a sad day, on which a severe and unjust verdict is to be handed down to an innocent man.” Olmert will have 45 days to appeal the sentence, an option his defence team has made clear he will pursue. The judge has delayed the arrest of Olmert and the other defendants until 1 September.

As Prime Minister, Olmert led Israel during the 2006 Second Lebanon War and in 2007 and 2008 held final status negotiations 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 the ‘Holyland’ verdict in March.