Ex-PM Olmert heads to jail, denies criminal wrongdoing

Olmert, who was originally sentenced to six months before the Supreme Court partly overturned his sentence in December, said in the video: “This morning I will enter prison to serve my sentence. My guards from the dignitary protection unit will escort me there, and Prison Service guards will guard me throughout the time of imprisonment.”

 

“As prime minister, I was entrusted with the supreme responsibility of protecting the citizens of Israel, and today it is I who is about to be closed behind bars,” continued Olmert. “You can probably imagine how much this change is painful and strange for me, for my family, and for my loved ones and my supporters.”

 

“It’s important to me at this point to say again, as I have said in the court and outside of it, that I reject outright the charges related to bribery. It is also important to emphasize that none of the charges of which I was convicted was related to my activity during the period in which I served as prime minister.”

 

“It was a great privilege to serve the public as a member of Knesset, as a minister, as mayor of Jerusalem and as prime minister of Israel,” said Olmert. “I was fortunate to take part in a variety of exciting and significant steps for Israeli society.”

 

Read More: Ex-PM Olmert heads to jail, denies criminal wrongdoing – Israel News, Ynetnews