JERUSALEM, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Israel’s attorney general has launched a criminal investigation into whether the price of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's home was part of a bribe.
Attorney General Menachem Mazuz started the investigation to follow up allegations a friend bribed Olmert by selling him a Jerusalem house for $320,000 less than it was worth, YnetNews.com reported.
The prime minister allegedly got the discount in return for helping the construction firm that refurbished the apartment gain illegal building permit, the report said.
He is suspected of helping the company get a license to build on 8,073 square feet instead of the original permit for 3,767 square feet.
The prime minister's office said in a statement Monday that it was "confident in the steps taken by the Olmert family prior to purchasing the apartment on Jerusalem's Cremieux Street,” adding, “We regret the decision to open what we are sure will prove to be an unnecessary police investigation."
