Olmert case witness grilled

Lawyers representing Ehud Olmert yesterday cross-examined a key witness in a corruption probe against the Israeli prime minister, hoping to discredit allegations that Olmert illicitly accepted cash-stuffed envelopes from an American businessman to help fund a luxurious lifestyle.

The businessman, 75-year-old Morris "Moshe" Talansky, appeared nervous in an Israeli court room, drumming his fingers on the table, fidgeting with a plastic cup and at one point asking for a break. He insisted he told the truth in previous testimony.

Lawyers spent hours grilling him about previous testimony and attempted to undermine his credibility by pointing out what they suggested were Talansky's frequent, unfounded lawsuits and an untoward attempt to secure a fat severance package from a Jerusalem hospital.