Former PM Olmert indicted on corruption charges

The former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been indicted in three corruption cases, the attorney general's office says. Mr Olmert has been embroiled in a number of corruption scandals but denies any wrongdoing in all the cases. The former head of the Kadima party was replaced as prime minister by Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu following general elections in February. The series of probes was a key factor in Mr Olmert's resignation last year. The charges relate to the periods when Mr Olmert was mayor of Jerusalem and a cabinet minister, but before he became prime minister in 2006. On Sunday he issued a statement through a spokesman that said: "Olmert is convinced that in the court he will be able to prove his innocence once and for all."