Israeli police arrested former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski April 14 in connection with a multimillion-dollar bribery scandal that has been linked to a key confidant of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Last week, a longtime Olmert associate and five others were arrested in the affair, in which huge sums of money allegedly changed hands to promote several real-estate projects, including a large development in Jerusalem that required a radical change in zoning laws. The scandal has riveted Israel.
Olmert’s separate corruption trial was postponed last week until May 6 following the arrest of Uri Messer, a longtime Olmert confidant. During a hearing on April 8, the Jerusalem District Court rejected a motion filed by Olmert’s defense attorney to stop the trial completely.
Olmert, 63, is currently traveling abroad, according to reports, and he has denied any connection to the latest scandal. He has not been ordered to return to Israel despite rumors that he also will be charged in the Messer scandal. — jta & ap