American-Jewish businessman Morris Talansky told the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday that he gave Prime Minister Ehud Olmert $150,000 out of his own pocket, speculating that some of the money went to fund Olmert’s fondness for fine hotels, first-class flights and luxury goods.

He told the court that most of the money he turned over at meetings in New York and Jerusalem was to cover Olmert’s political activities over a 15-year period. But a tearful Talansky also said Olmert’s assistant, Shula Zaken, would often ask for cash to cover unidentified personal expenses.

He specifically mentioned that he met the prime minister 10 times between 2002 and 2005, while Olmert was industry, trade and labor minister, and on each occasion, gave him envelopes of cash. Talansky stressed, however, that he did not do it for personal gain.

“I had a very close relationship with him for over 16 years. The relationship was one of great admiration. I never expected anything from him and never received anything from him whatsoever,” said Talansky, testifying as a witness for the prosecution in the investigation into allegations that Olmert accepted illegal payments from the US financier.

Source: jpost.com/