Olmert beats corruption charges
Olmert resigned in 2008 after the allegations surfaced, cutting short his pursuit of a peace deal with the Palestinians.
The three-judge court’s rejection of key accusations that drove the veteran politician from office raised questions in Israel about whether prosecutors had been over-zealous.
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Hide Ad“There is justice in Jerusalem,” Olmert, 66, said after the ruling.
The verdict defied widespread expectations of a full conviction. The court found Olmert not guilty of charges that he received, while a cabinet minister and Jerusalem’s mayor, $150,000 in bribes from a US businessman and defrauded Israeli charities by double-billing them for overseas fundraising trips.
Sentencing for breach of trust will be in September.