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Ehud Olmert

JERUSALEM. – Israeli ex-prime minister Ehud Olmert was freed from prison yesterday after being granted parole from a 27-month sentence for corruption scandals that brought down his promising political career.

Olmert, the country’s first former premier to serve jail time, did not speak to reporters when leaving the Maasiyahu prison in central Israel.

Wearing a dark-coloured T-shirt, he was seen exiting the jail shortly after dawn yesterday before being driven away to his home in Tel Aviv, accompanied by Israeli security agents.

The 71-year-old, premier between 2006 and 2009, was convicted of graft and entered prison in February 2016. He was granted early release by a parole board on Thursday, reducing his sentence by around a third. Prosecutors decided not to appeal the decision.

The conditions of his parole were not made public, but Israeli media reported that they include reporting to police twice a month and a ban on leaving the country.

He must also volunteer at associations that help the poor, Haaretz newspaper reported. He can request a pardon from President Reuven Rivlin that would lift the restrictions. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked told army radio she would favour such a request.

In March, Rivlin rejected a request for clemency by Olmert, but said he could consider pardoning him if he were granted parole. Meanwhile, prosecutors have placed French far-right leader Marine Le Pen under formal investigation as part of a probe into the alleged misuse of European Union funds to pay parliamentary assistants.

Le Pen, who is being investigated for breach of trust, has previously denied any wrongdoing in a case that she has said is politically motivated. In a statement, her lawyer said she would launch an appeal against the investigation.

The case relates to an amount of about 5 million euros ($5,71 million). It was announced Le Pen had been placed under formal investigation after she appeared before judges on Friday. She had been summoned previously, but refused to go during her campaign bid for the French presidency.

The European Parliament believes the money went to National Front employees working for the party in France rather than those working for the party’s lawmakers in Brussels.

The formal investigation comes less than two weeks after Le Pen won a seat in the French National Assembly. She is no longer a member of the European Par- liament.

Le Pen also faces an investigation into the financing of past election campaigns and a probe into her tweeting of pictures of Islamic State violence. – AFP- Reuters.