Report: Former PM Olmert denied get out of jail pass for grandson's bar mitzva
Olmert walked into prison last month to become Israel’s first former prime minister ever to go behind bars.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: MARCH 10, 2016 21:33Ehud Olmert tapes a statement prior to his entering prison(photo credit: Courtesy)
A month after Ehud Olmert entered prison on charges of corruption, the former prime minister's request to attend his grandson's bar mitzva was denied, Channel 2 reported on Thursday. Olmert requested to leave the Ma’asiyahu Prison in Ramle only for a few hours to take part in his family's celebration, Channel 2 reported. The Israel Prison Authority found that Olmert did not meet its criteria for such short hours-long furlough, a source told Channel 2.Prison Service regulations allow for furlough if the prisoner has served more than a quarter of his sentence or if there is a family event of a family member from the prisoner's immediate family.IPS did not comment on the report of the furlough request denial. Olmert walked into prison last month to become Israel’s first former prime minister ever to go behind bars.His prison sentence is set to run for at least 19 months, but depending on various potential appeals, could run as long as 27 months.He entered prison as a result of his Holyland conviction for bribery from March 2014 and his 18-month sentence, which was reduced from an original sentence of six years by the Supreme Court in December.That conviction related to a request by Olmert to investor Shmuel Duchner for NIS 60,000 for his benefit through his confidantes Shula Zaken and Uri Messer.The Holyland trial involved 16 defendants, 13 of whom were convicted of participating in the biggest bribery scheme in the state’s history, including eight (along with Olmert) sentenced by the Supreme Court.Most of the defendants were powerful Jerusalem public servants who took bribes to smooth over legal and zoning obstacles for the Holyland real estate project in southwestern Jerusalem.
Whether Olmert serves only 18 months or 27 months depends on two other sentences, a one-month sentence handed down last week by Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court Judge Avital Chen and an eight-month sentence handed down in by the Jerusalem District Court in the Talansky Affair retrial in May.Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.