Prosecutors close preliminary probe into Olmert’s memoir leaks

Israel’s State Prosecution announces that it has closed a preliminary probe into suspicions that former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert leaked classified material in the process of writing his memoirs.

“The State Prosecution has decided, based on the recommendation of the attorney general, not to open a criminal investigation into the incident,” a statement reads.

On May 18, one of Olmert’s attorneys was allegedly caught by prison officers with classified material belonging to the former prime minister after a visit to his jail cell. During a search of the cell, security officers found additional classified documents.

Consequently, law enforcement officials decided to open a preliminary probe into Olmert. The lawyer was allegedly carrying two chapters from Olmert’s memoirs, which he is writing while incarcerated. According to the report the chapters relate to the bombing of a Syrian nuclear reactor in September 2007.

Olmert is said to be the only person involved who did not sign a confidentiality agreement about the bombing, which foreign reports have attributed to Israel, because he was prime minister at the time.

State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan writes in his legal opinion that Olmert did indeed pass classified materials to his publisher that the military censor had barred from publication. But he concludes that nothing was done beyond the norms of writing a book and there is no reason to believe that Olmert was planning to publish the materials.

— Raoul Wootliff