Israel ordered a criminal graft probe of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over a real estate deal on Monday, in the latest scandal to hit the premier who had been steadily regaining popularity. Attorney General Menahem Mazuz "has decided to order the police to open a criminal probe in the Cremieux Street affair," a justice ministry statement said.
The Israeli premier is suspected of having received an effective bribe when he and his wife purchased the west Jerusalem home in 2004 for an estimated 300,000 dollars below market price, the statement said. In return, Olmert's associates are alleged to have helped the firm that refurbished the property to gain construction permits from Jerusalem city hall, which Olmert headed as mayor between 1993 and 2003.
The announcement came as the 61-year-old premier was seeing his approval ratings climb - an opinion poll released last week said 35 percent of Israelis rated his performance as "good" - up from the single digits where they languished for months. The popularity of the man hailed as one of Israel's most able politicians when he officially assumed office in May 2006.
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