(Olmert) Former Israeli Leader Indicted on Bribery Charge
Ehud Olmert, who resigned as prime minister of Israel in 2008 amid corruption charges, was indicted on Thursday for allegedly taking bribes in the construction of a huge residential complex while he was mayor of Jerusalem.
Mr. Olmert, who is on trial for three unrelated counts of fraud and breach of trust from before his tenure as prime minister, has denied all wrongdoing. In the newest and by far most serious indictment, he is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to smooth the way for construction of the Holyland, an enormous hulk of a residential complex in southwestern Jerusalem.
When the case was first made public nearly two years ago, the presiding judge called it “one of the worst corruption affairs in Israeli history.”
The Holyland is built on a ridge with interlocking apartment buildings and one outsized tower that dominates the landscape for miles and is widely considered an eyesore. Jerusalem residents commonly call it “the monster.”
full: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/world/middleeast/ehud-olmert-ex-israeli-leader-bribery-charges.html