Cops Raid Gov't Offices in Olmert Fraud Inquiry

Israelis probe PM's perks, appointments
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 11, 2007 10:05 AM CST
Cops Raid Gov't Offices in Olmert Fraud Inquiry
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, right, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007. More than 100 police investigators raided government buildings and private offices Sunday, searching for evidence in a series of criminal investigations of...   (Associated Press)

Israeli police confiscated documents from 20 sites today as part of a probe into fraud allegations against PM Ehud Olmert, reports Reuters. Some 100 department of fraud officers stormed the trade and industry ministry, the Jewish National Fund, and private law offices, among others. Olmert is accused of securing an illegal discount on a luxury home he purchased in Jerusalem.

The allegations also focus on political appointments Olmert made as trade and industry minister, and a suspected abuse of authority during a 2005 bank privatization. Olmert, who will remain in office during the probe, has denied the charges. The accountant general who called for the investigation announced his resignation over the weekend. (More Ehud Olmert stories.)

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