Olmert money-launder proof said solid

JERUSALEM, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faces a good chance of conviction if he is indicted on money-laundering charges, a police source said.

The unnamed source told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz Tuesday that recent changes in the country's money-laundering laws would make it relatively easy for prosecutors to secure a conviction against Olmert should they follow a police recommendation to indict him.

"I don't see how Olmert could get out of this rap, it is unlikely that he'd be able to use these felonies to get a plea bargain," the source told Haaretz. "The money-laundering felony is relatively easy to prove and the penalty for it is relatively severe."

A felony money-laundering conviction could bring a maximum 10-year jail sentence.

The newspaper said police determined four months ago they would have enough evidence to prove Olmert laundered money allegedly taken from U.S. businessman Morris Talansky without reporting its transfer to Israel. The law was changed several years ago to no longer require proof that the laundered money was illegally obtained.