Ethics Newsline®

JERUSALEM
Israeli police will travel to Australia next week to question an Australian billionaire while pursuing a corruption probe centering on Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert.

Prosecutors say they want to know if Olmert tried to improperly intervene in the sale of an Israeli bank on behalf of billionaire Frank Lowry, a real estate developer and a friend of Olmert’s, reports the Jerusalem Post.

In an interview published by the Australian Age, Lowry denied any impropriety and vowed that he would be cleared.

Olmert himself has not been charged with any crime and has denied wrongdoing, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Olmert’s popularity has plunged since Israel’s war against Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon last summer, with many Israelis sharply critical of his handling of the campaign, notes the Associated Press.

According to the AP, Olmert is facing several allegations involving past real estate deals. Others in the government also have been touched by scandals, including a probe of the finance minister, the arrest of Olmert’s office manager, and sex-crime charges against the nation’s president.