Ehud Olmert, a former Israeli Prime Minister, has been formally indicted in three cases involving corruption, according to the attorney general’s office.
Mr Olmert, who was the former leader of the Kadima party, had previously stepped down after the general elections in February, with his role as prime minister taken over by Likud party head Benjamin Netanyahu.
The former prime minister has faced several corruption scandals during his tenure, which were one of the main reasons for his resignation. He has, however, denied any offence in these cases.
The new charges filed involved actions he had taken during his term as Jerusalem mayor and cabinet minister before he took the position of prime minister in 2006.
A statement was issued by Olmert through a spokesman last Sunday, stating, “Olmert is convinced that in the court he will be able to prove his innocence once and for all.”
The office of Menahem Mazuz, an Attorney General, presented the charge sheet on Sunday in the district court of Jerusalem, presenting charges of “fraud, breach of trust, registering false corporate documents, and concealing fraudulent earnings.”
Mr Olmert allegedly accepted envelopes containing hundreds of thousands of dollars from American businessman Morris Tallansky.
The second case accused the former PM of duplicate funding for his foreign travels.
The third case accused Mr Olmert of conflict of interest, alleging that he fixed investment opportunities for a friend during his tenure as industry minister.
Mr Olmert, the first ex-prime minister in the history of Israel to confront criminal charges, assumed the role of prime minister in May 2006, following his temporary tenure in the same office due to Ariel Sharon’s stroke and eventual coma.
