Israel AG warns Olmert of indictment

Israel's attorney general says he has informed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert he likely will be indicted for double-billing taxpayers for private trips.

A Justice Ministry statement said Attorney General Menachem Mazuz told Olmert of the developments Wednesday, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

(Mazuz) is considering bringing criminal charges regarding suspicions of various violations as part of the Rishon Tours affair, the statement said. Rishon Tours is the name of the travel agency at the center of the double-billing scandal.

Haaretz said Olmert is suspected of paying for his own as well as his family's private flights through money illegally obtained from public bodies, first while serving as mayor of Jerusalem and then as Israel's industry, trade and labor minister from 2003 to 2006.

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