A Tel Aviv court has found former premier Ehud Olmert guilty of bribery linked to the Holyland residential complex development when Olmert served as the mayor of Jerusalem, It is in one of the worst corruption scandals in Israeli history and too obviously shed a bad light on Israel’s efforts to consolidate Jerusalem as the Israeli capital by building housing around the city itself. Holyland is widely reviled as a major blot on the city’s skyline.
Olmert was convicted for receiving bribes totalling some $430,000, although the prosecution later reduced the sum received by about half. As prime minister, Olmert waged war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006 and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in 2008. He resigned in September 2008 after police recommended that he be indicted in several corruption cases.