Counsels to explore ways of getting witness to complete cross-examination by PM's attorneys.
By DAN IZENBERGTalansky hold it 224.8(photo credit: AP )
The lawyers for prosecution witness Morris Talansky are due to meet with State Attorney Moshe Lador and Jerusalem District Attorney (Criminal) Eli Abarbanel on Thursday morning to see whether they can find a way to get Talansky to complete his cross-examination by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's attorneys.
Last week, Talansky's American lawyers, Bradley Simon and Neal Sher, informed his Israeli lawyers, Jacques Chen and Yehoshua Reznik, that he would not return to Israel for scheduled testimony on August 31 and September 1.
In a statement to the Jerusalem District Court Wednesday, Abarbanel wrote that "prosecution lawyers intend to meet with the legal representatives of the witness on August 21 to clarify the question of whether he will return to resume his testimony."
On August 12, Bradley and Sher wrote that Talansky was the subject of a grand jury investigation in New York and that the US investigation "mirrored in many respects the matters at issue in the Israeli investigation."
The prosecution has made clear that Talansky is still regarded as a suspect here. Although the allegations against him have not been disclosed, he may be suspected of bribing Olmert.
Charges in NY could also include transferring large sums of money out of the country without notifying US authorities.
Chen and Reznik issued a statement pointing out that the Israeli prosecution had promised that Talansky would not be hurt by his pre-trial testimony. The lawyers said they expected the state to keep its promise.
However, Irit Kahn, former head of the International Section of the State Attorney's Office, wrote on Wednesday that it was very unlikely the US would accede to a request by Israel to grant Talansky immunity from prosecution in the US for information he divulged at the hearing in Israel.
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