Ex-PM Ehud Olmert will appeal

Tel Aviv District Court judge David Rosen Tuesday sentenced former prime minister Ehud Olmert to six years in prison and a fine of one million shekels ($340,000) on two charges of accepting bribes as mayor of Jerusalem for helping the developers obtain approval for the Holyland Park residential project in return for 560,000 shekels.

 

The judge characterized Olmert as wise, smart and highly educated – and at the same time a criminal who perpetrated a felony with moral turpitude (which bars him from political service for seven years.)

 
He topped the list of defendants found guilty in the same case on March 31, six of whom were sentenced with him Tuesday. As the only Israeli prime minister ever to be convicted of a felony or sentenced to prison his case is unique. The judge set Sept. 1 as the starting date for all the prison sentences.

Read More: Ex-PM Ehud Olmert will appeal his six-year sentence for corruption.