Olmert cleared over corruption allegations
01/03/2006 - 14:37:35The sale and rental of acting prime minister Ehud Olmert’s Jerusalem home was done legally, Israel’s state comptroller ruled today, putting an end to a corruption scandal just four weeks before a general election.
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss investigated the sale after there were suspicions Olmert sold the house at a price higher than market value, and then rented it from the new owners at an unrealistically low rate.
The comptroller wrote in a report released Wednesday that the sale price was “reasonable”.
The Olmerts’ monthly payments to stay in the house until their new apartment was renovated appeared “relatively low,” but there was no proof that it was unreasonable, Lindenstrauss wrote.
