Israel police: Indict Olmert on corruption charges

The police statement said they want to indict Olmert in affairs that include receiving tens of thousands of dollars from a U.S. businessman and double-billing Jewish groups for trips abroad.

The police recommendation though would have only limited effect. The decision about whether to indict Olmert rests with the attorney general, Meni Mazuz. In the past, Mazuz and his predecessors have turned down police recommendations to indict Israeli leaders several times.

The political effect of the police recommendation is also limited. Already in July, Olmert announced he would resign later this month because of the multiple corruption investigations. Though he has been dogged by corruption charges through his long public career, Olmert has never been indicted and has denied all wrongdoing.

The police recommendations cover affairs that occurred before Olmert became prime minister in 2006. The charges include receiving bribes, breach of public trust, money laundering and others, according to the police statement.

Olmert's lawyers issued a response just as the police statement was issued. It said the police recommendation is "of no value," because the attorney general makes the final decision, noting that a Supreme Court justice spoke out against the practice of police passing a recommendation along with the results of their investigations.

"We will wait patiently for the decision of the attorney general," the statement said. "Unlike the police, he is aware of the heavy responsibility he holds."

One case focuses on Morris Talansky, a 76-year-old American Jewish businessman who testified that he handed envelopes stuffed with tens of thousands of dollars to Olmert before he became prime minister, in part financing a luxurious lifestyle of expensive hotels and fat cigars.

The police statement said the investigation "found that Talansky transferred to Olmert over the years from 1997 and on, large sums of money in different ways, in cash and illegally." It said in return, Olmert promoted Talansky's businesses.

Talansky gave lengthy public testimony for days in a Jerusalem courtroom, defending his allegations under cross-examination by Olmert's attorneys--although Olmert has never been formally charged with a crime.