Report: Talansky paid for Olmert's suite in US
New York Times reveals new details on prime minister's relationship with American businessman who allegedly bribed him, says Talansky paid for Olmert's stay in luxurious Washington hotel in 2005 at $4,717 a night
WASHINGTON – Moshe Talansky, the key witness in the new police investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, is feeling the pressure. "I've very stressed, I feel imprisoned," he told Yedioth Ahronoth in an interview published Sunday.
He is anxious to return home, to the United States, but says he will keep his word and stay in Israel for as long as the police needs him to.
As for Olmert – Talansky spoke little of him in the interview, saying only that he lent him some assistance in fundraising for political purposes.
The American media, however, was a little less quiet, revealing more and more details about the man behind the latest political scandal in Israel: The New York Times reported over the weekend that Talansky paid for Olmert's stay in a luxurious Washington hotel suite in 2005 when he was a minister in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government.
According to legal documents filed with the State Supreme Court in Nassau County, Talansky paid for Olmert's stay at the Ritz-Carlton – at $4,717 a night. The invoice was apparently sent to a minibar company he helped back in 2005, with the request to pick up the tab for "a senior Israeli cabinet member that had no relation to the business."
Minibar's company attorney, William J. Davis, confirmed that the company paid for Olmert's one-night stay in 2005, adding he had no idea if Olmert was aware of who ultimately paid the bill.
According to details published in the US press, Talansky is no stranger to legal battles and business disputes, with eight lawsuits files since 1995. Some of the cases include allegations by various business associates, that Talansky, or people working on his behalf, used "intimidation techniques" in order to collect debts or settle business disputes.
Talansky, said Davis, is the kind of businessman who employs a full-time lawyer.
Meanwhile, Olmert's attorneys Eli Zohar and Roi Belcher announced Saturday that they intend to appeal the Supreme Court against the decision to depose Talansky before any decision on an indictment has been made.
The two argued that the Jerusalem District Court decision to allow the deposition hinders the prime minister's rights to have his lawyers cross-examine the witness in court.
