Court gives ex-Israeli PM Olmert reprieve

Israel's Supreme Court Monday ruled that former prime minister Ehud Olmert can stay out of jail pending his appeal against his conviction for bribery, Jerusalem Post reported.

He was convicted in the Holyland affair\ in May this year, in which he was found guilty of receiving bribes during his tenure as the mayor of Jerusalem in exchange for expediting construction procedures for a real estate project.

Olmert was sentenced by the Tel Aviv magistrate court to a six-year jail term in the ruling.

The court also allowed the seven other convicted people to stay out of jail till their appeal is heard within the next three months.

The court's main rationale was that none of the convicted persons had exhibited any kind of criminal or dangerous behaviour.

Olmert was acquitted in what came to be known as the "Talansky Affair" in July 2012, after being charged with fraud and tax evasion for illegally receiving large sums of money in envelopes during fund-raisers from US businessman Moris Talansky.