Confidants of Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Decry “Disproportionate Sentence”

Lawyers for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said they would appeal his six-year sentence, which they said was disproportionate to the crime of accepting some $155,000 in bribes for development of the Holyland complex. Olmert did not comment after the judge’s verdict, but has continued to maintain his innocence throughout the trial. Olmert was one of seven defendants sentenced in the case, and three more sentences are pending. The judge delayed the arrest and imprisonment of all the defendants until September 1, but the former prime minister’s sentence could actually begin months later if the Supreme Court accepts his request not to go to jail until after his appeal is heard.