AVRAHAM HIRSCHSON LINKED TO OLMERT INVESTIGATION

Well, I'd say it figures:

(IsraelNN.com) Former Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson has been added to the growing list of those who may be involved in campaign finance irregularities and other forms of corruption in the widening investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

As part of the criminal investigation of Hirschson, Israel Police revealed Tuesday they are examining possible links between him and the Prime Minister's former bureau chief, Shula Zaken.

The police are currently investigating allegations that NIS 100,000 was passed between Zaken and Hirschson to fund the former Finance Minister's election war chest in March 2004. At that time, there were no general or internal party primary elections, and the sum wasn't reported to the relevant authorities. Nor was it recorded in party financial ledgers, according to Israel Police sources.

Hirschson was forced to resign his post in July 2007 after being indicted on charges of embezzling millions of shekels from a non-governmental organization (NGO) during his tenure as head of the Histadrut National Labor Union.

This doesn't surprise me any longer. It could easily explain why Olmert appointed Hirschson a finance minister in the first place.