The hits just keep on coming.
Apparently a new criminal investigation on Israeli PM Ehud Olmert is now underway.
This one concerns the purchase of his home in Jerusalem.
The Justice Ministry first began looking into the circumstances surrounding the purchase of Olmert's home in the German Colony neighborhood last year when reports were released that Olmert, who formerly served as both mayor of Jerusalem and finance minister, received the property at substantially below market price in exchange for granting his contractor some special favors involving a Templar building at 8 Cremieux Street, which was classified as a "preserved building."
Apparently Olmert and his pals in the city government approved plans also involved dismantling and reconstructing that building, something that had never been allowed before, according to the state comptroller .
According to the State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, Olmert paid $1.2 million for the home, three years in advance, even though the unit he paid for did not yet exist and was dependent on those changes that the municipality eventually approved!
Standard procedure is for the State Comptroller's Office to query Olmert and give him a chance to respond to the allegations against him before submitting their final report. Olmert had failed to do so.
Ironic that someone who took such delight in throwing other people out of their homes was apparently so willing to bend the rules to establish a home for himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment