Key Witness in Ehud Olmert Corruption Trial Died Hours After Testifying
Image by Getty Images
A key state witness in a corruption trial against former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert died hours after testifying.
The witness, identified in the Israeli media as S.D., was 75 years old when he died on Thursday, Army Radio reported. He suffered from severe health problems.
Olmert, who served as Jerusalem mayor from 1993-2003, is accused of expediting the expanded construction of the Holyland luxury apartment complex and facilitating other real estate ventures i9n the city in exchange for bribes paid not to him but to others.
The statement by S.D., who served as a representative of the Holyland developers, is the only evidence the money was transferred at Olmert’s request, Haaretz reported.
In what was seen as a major breakthrough for Olmert’s defense team, S.D. recently admitted dring cross examination to falsifying some but not all of the evidence that the prosecution submitted as evidence against Olmert.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
