Olmert Suspected Of Bilking Charities

Meanwhile, Olmert is facing political pressure to step aside from allies including his top lieutenants in government -- Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni -- both of whom covet Olmert's job.

Livni is expected to seek the leadership of Olmert's Kadima party when primaries are held next month. Olmert has not said whether he plans to run, and political analysts said Friday's revelation makes it highly unlikely.

A poll published Friday in the daily Yediot Ahronot found that four of five Kadima members want Olmert to quit.

For the past week, Olmert's associates and the police have engaged in an unusual war of words in the media. Police officials have repeatedly leaked information suggesting they have information that will end Olmert's career; Olmert aides, in turn, have blasted the police for unprofessional behavior and have said Olmert is being unfairly targeted.

Scandal has shadowed Olmert for much of his political career. Investigators have opened up numerous cases against him, but none of the allegations have stuck.

Legal analysts have said, however, that the Talansky allegations are the most serious yet and that Friday's evidence suggesting duplicate billing is also potentially indictable.

Among the allegedly defrauded organizations was AKIM Israel, a group that helps the mentally disabled. The group's chairman, Reuven Samuel, said in an interview Friday that Olmert spoke in front of a gathering of the group's supporters in New York approximately five years ago and that the supporters paid for the flight.

"He did what we asked him to do, and he brought honor and profit for our organization," Samuel said. "I can't be angry with him for doing something good."

Samuel said that he did not know how much money had been raised from Olmert's speech but that an evening fundraiser with a high-profile speaker such as Olmert can draw half a million dollars.

Samuel said police had asked one of the organization's officials to testify about Olmert's visit.

A spokeswoman for Yad Vashem, Iris Rosenberg, said Olmert had been active in speaking in behalf of the organization, a state-chartered institution. But she said she did not have specific information about who paid for any trips he took in the organization's behalf. "This was quite a long time ago," she said.

The allegations precede Olmert's rise to the prime ministership in 2006, when he took over after Ariel Sharon became incapacitated following a stroke. Olmert's term is not scheduled to end until 2010.

Special correspondent Samuel Sockol contributed to this report.