NY Post Links Olmert Scandal to Long Island Financier

The New York Post is reporting today that Long Island financier Morris Talansky is at the center of the bribery scandal that could bring down Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The Post reports, "Millionaire financier Morris Talansky - who runs an investment firm out of his home in Woodmere - allegedly passed money to Olmert while the politician was mayor of Jerusalem in the '90s, sources said."

It remains to be seen whether the Israeli Justice Ministry and police will move to lift the court-imposed ban on media publication of information about the ongoing investigation, now that an American newspaper has revealed Talanksy's role in the investigation.

The Post reported further:

"Talansky - a philanthropist and political contributor to everyone from Rudy Giuliani to Bill Clinton - is in Jerusalem, where he has an apartment, preparing to head to a closed-door court hearing as early as today, sources said.

"The 75-year-old was earlier questioned about the alleged scheme almost immediately after arriving in the country for Passover, and he implicated Olmert, sources have said."