Israel Parliament and Government - Business as usual

Former President of Israel the late Ezer Weizman, accepted “gifts” of $450,000 from a French millionaire while serving as an MP and minister and was forced to resiign.

The current President Moshe Katsav has been charged with raping a former employee at the Tourism Ministry and sexually harassing three other workers at the presidential residence. He will also face charges of fraud, breach of trust, harassing a witness and obstruction of justice.

Meni Mazuz, the Israeli Attorney-General last week announced a criminal investigation into the involvement of the Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, in the sale of the government-owned Bank Leumi in 2005 when he was Finance Minister. Meni Mazuz, has removed himself from the case because his sister holds a senior position at the Finance Ministry and took part in the privatisation of the bank.

The state comptroller's office, a government watchdog, is investigating Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert's purchase of a home in Jerusalem, allegedly for far below its market value.Mr Olmert sold the house for US$2.7 million to an offshore company controlled by S Daniel Abraham, the founder of Slim-Fast, in 2004. Mr Abraham had previously contributed funds to Mr Olmert's election campaigns.

The newspaper Haaretz has claimed that Mr Olmert continued to live in the house following the sale, paying rent at about half the market rate.

On September 24th 2006 Tzahi Hanegbi the chairman of the Israel Parliament's influential Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee and a senior ally of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was charged with fraud, bribery and perjury in connection with appointments he made as a minister. The charges relate to appointing political allies to government jobs when serving as environment minister from 2001 to 2003.