Bertie and Ehud under a bush …

Does any of this sound familiar? –

Not all of the money was a gift, New York businessman Morris Talansky told the court.  Some of the cash “donations” handed over to Olmert were loans, which he expected to be repaid. “Famous last words,” Talansky jokingly told the court when he explained that the money was never seen again.

Mr Talansky told the hearing that the bulk of the money was raised in New York “parlour meetings”, where Mr Olmert would address US donors who would then leave contributions on their chairs.

“I gave [Mr Olmert] cash in envelopes,” the millionaire campaign fundraiser said, according to a transcript of the hearing.  “I asked him why I couldn’t write a cheque and he said it’s because of the way the money is channelled.”  When asked how the money was spent by Mr Olmert, Mr Talansky said: “I only know that he loved expensive cigars. I know he loved pens, watches. I found it strange.”

[News stories here and here].  A few interesting points.  Note first the similarities — The PM would go to social meetings and cash would be left lying around for him. Sometimes an assistant would handle the transactions.  The aversion to cheques.  The inability, so far, to demonstrate any favours in return for the money.

But note also the differences: The Israeli police are investigating, not a Tribunal, and the alleged donations took place only a few years ago.  The principals can still be tracked down.  And the police are pushing forward despite Olmert’s pivotal role in the local peace process.

They do politics a little differently in Israel.