Israeli ex-PM Olmert freed from jail

Jerusalem July 2 (IANS) Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was released from prison on Sunday after a parole board reduced his corruption sentence by a third.

Live broadcasts showed Olmert who served as the country s Prime Minister between 2006 and 2009 leaving the Maasiyahu prison in central Israel early morning Xinhua news agency reported.

A car took him directly to his home in Tel Aviv accompanied by his security guard.

A spokesperson for Olmert said that under his parole terms in the next few months the former leader will have to do volunteer work report twice a week to a police station and will not be allowed to leave the country or give media interviews.

Olmert is expected to appeal for a pardon to President Reuven Rivlin the spokesperson said adding that a request if approved would cancel his parole terms.

Olmert served 16 months of his 27-month sentence. He was granted an early release on Thursday in a decision by Israel Prison Service s parole board. He is the first Israeli Prime Minister to serve time in jail.

Olmert started his prison term on February 15 2016 after the Supreme Court reduced his six-year sentence to 18 months cancelling a previous conviction in the Holyland case a corruption affair involving a giant construction project in Jerusalem.

--IANS
soni/vt