Olmert beats corruption charges

Israel’s Ehud Olmert was acquitted of major corruption charges yesterday but convicted of breach of trust, in what was widely seen as a stunning victory for the former prime minister.

Olmert resigned in 2008 after the allegations surfaced, cutting short his pursuit of a peace deal with the Palestinians.

The three-judge court’s rejection of key accusations that drove the veteran politician from office raised questions in Israel about whether prosecutors had been over-zealous.

“There is justice in Jerusalem,” Olmert, 66, said after the ruling.

The verdict defied widespread expectations of a full conviction. The court found Olmert not guilty of charges that he received, while a cabinet minister and Jerusalem’s mayor, $150,000 in bribes from a US businessman and defrauded Israeli charities by double-billing them for overseas fundraising trips.

Sentencing for breach of trust will be in September.