Occupied Jerusalem — Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday turned down an appeal by disgraced former prime minister Ehud Olmert against an eight-month prison term for corruption handed down in 2015.
The ruling means that Olmert, who entered prison in February, is due to serve a total of 27 months behind bars for the corruption case and other convictions for bribery and obstruction of justice.
He had appealed against both the conviction and sentence for receiving envelopes of cash from a US businessman while trade and industry minister in the early 2000s.
“The justices ruled unanimously to reject the appeal, both regarding the conviction and the severity of the sentence,” said a transcript of Wednesday’s hearing, released by the justice ministry.
It said the judges also turned down a prosecution appeal for harsher punishment in the bribery case, upholding the previous sentence of 18 months.
He was later given an additional month on a separate charge of obstructing justice.
He became Israel’s first former premier to serve jail time when he entered Maasiyahu Prison in the central city of Ramle on February 15. — AFP
