{"id":333368,"date":"2017-07-02T08:16:04","date_gmt":"2017-07-02T08:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=333368"},"modified":"2017-07-02T08:16:04","modified_gmt":"2017-07-02T08:16:04","slug":"israels-ex-pm-jailed-for-bribery-released-early","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/07\/israels-ex-pm-jailed-for-bribery-released-early\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel’s ex-PM jailed for bribery released early"},"content":{"rendered":"
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been released from prison on parole after serving two-thirds of a 27-month sentence for fraud.<\/p>\n
He was jailed in 2016 after being convicted of bribery and obstruction of justice while a trade minister.<\/p>\n
Olmert was the first former Israeli head of government to be jailed.<\/p>\n
He became prime minister in 2006 but resigned three years later when police recommended a series of charges against him.<\/p>\n
The 71-year-old did not speak to reporters as he left Maasiyahu prison in central Israel.
\nEarlier, the Israeli parole board said Olmert had undergone a “significant rehabilitation process” in prison and his behaviour had been largely “impeccable”.<\/p>\n
He is however currently being investigated by the state attorney’s office over suspicions he smuggled a chapter of a book he is writing out of prison, raising fears that it might compromise national security.<\/p>\n
There had been calls for leniency after a leaked picture of him in a hospital gown looking gaunt circulated on social media last week.<\/p>\n
He had been taken to hospital complaining of chest pains but was given the all-clear and returned to prison.<\/p>\n
In 2014, Olmert was convicted of bribery in connection with a property development dating to his period as mayor of Jerusalem between 1993 and 2003.<\/p>\n
He was also convicted of fraud, breach of trust and obstructing justice when a trade minister, in a series of separate trials, and acquitted of other charges.
\n–<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been released from prison on parole after serving two-thirds of a 27-month sentence for fraud. He was jailed in 2016 after being convicted of bribery and obstruction of justice while a trade minister. Olmert was the first former Israeli head of government to be jailed. He became prime […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107],"tags":[3517,36,8828,3014],"yoast_head":"\n