Ehud Olmert Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison
May 25 2015 - 10:50PM
Dow Jones News
JERUSALEM—Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
was sentenced to eight months in prison for unlawfully accepting
money from a U.S. supporter.
Monday's verdict in Jerusalem District Court caps a dramatic
downfall of a man who only years earlier led the country and hoped
to bring about a historic peace agreement with the
Palestinians.
Mr. Olmert was convicted in March in a retrial. The sentencing
comes in addition to a six-year prison sentence he received last
year in a separate bribery conviction, ensuring the end of the
former premier's political career.
Mr. Olmert's lawyers said they would appeal the ruling.
Mr. Olmert was forced to resign in early 2009 amid the
corruption allegations. His departure cleared the way for
hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu's election. Subsequent peace efforts
haven't succeeded.