国际英语新闻：Police confiscates documents linked to Olmert probe from Jerusalem city hall

JERUSALEM, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police searched the Jerusalem Municipality on Monday and confiscated documents related to the new investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website.

    Five months earlier police searched several municipal offices, including the Jerusalem Municipality, in connection with other investigations against Olmert, the newspaper added.

    Meanwhile, businessman Morris Talansky was summoned to the National Fraud Unit's headquarters for questioning on Monday afternoon in relation to his suspected involvement in the bribery affair Olmert has recently been implicated in.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, May 11, 2008. Top members of Olmert's party closed ranks behind him on Sunday, praising his response to bribery suspicions that could force him from office and disrupt peace efforts with the Palestinians

    Police investigators said Talansky was being questioned under caution. At the present time, he is suspected of having raised the funds which were subsequently transferred to Olmert through illegal channels.

    Several hours prior to the second round of interrogation, a former senior police figure, Yaakov Borovsky, who is familiar with the details of the corruption charges against Olmert, said the current affair would likely result in an indictment against the prime minister.

    According to Borovsky, the latest probe against Olmert stems from other affairs on which the prime minister was investigated by the state comptroller.

    "These materials have been gathered by the State Comptroller's Office and handed over to the police and the State Prosecutor's Office...the police is acting with determination, professionalism and courage in this case," he was quoted by Yedioth Ahronoth assaying.

    Olmert denied Thursday that he took bribes from Talansky during a campaign, and announced he would only resign if indicted.

    Olmert made the statement in an impromptu press conference in Jerusalem late Thursday night, shortly after the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court's decided to revise the comprehensive gag order placed on the police investigation against him.

    The prime minister is suspected of illegally receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from Talansky, during tenures as Jerusalem mayor and as minister of industry and trade in Ariel Sharon's government.

    Olmert was questioned for over an hour earlier this month. Prior to the latest questioning, Olmert has maintained his innocence in four police investigations against him.

    The status of each case is unknown to the public, due to police fears that revealing such information could undermine the inquiry.