Court bars Olmert’s lawyers from hearing misplaced Zaken CDs

The state also made a second attempt to move ahead with charges against another former Olmert aide, Rachel Rizby- Raz, who was allegedly part of the Rishon Tours Affair.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert arrives at the Supreme Court. (photo credit: EMIL SALMAN/POOL)
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert arrives at the Supreme Court.
(photo credit: EMIL SALMAN/POOL)
Ehud Olmert’s legal saga continues to produce new firsts, with the Jerusalem District Court issuing an injunction Thursday keeping his lawyers from reviewing private CDs of Shula Zaken accidentally given to them by the prosecution.
The last 24 hours were full of intrigue on the issue, with the state reporting that it had mistakenly given Olmert’s lawyers the wrong CDs in the retrial of the Talansky Affair, including files protected by privacy rules or by Zaken’s attorney-client privilege.
In the same breath, the state accused Olmert’s lawyers of allegedly unlawfully reviewing the CDs both before and after being warned, and demanded that they immediately return the files. The lawyers reportedly claimed that the CDs were fair game, mistake or no mistake.
When by late morning Thursday the court still had not issued an injunction, the state filed a second emergency request for a special gag order to prevent the lawyers or the media from leaking out any information from the files.
The court issued the injunction in the afternoon, leaving pending Olmert’s lawyers’ response and what the court’s final ruling would be.
Meanwhile, the state also made a second attempt to move ahead with charges against another former Olmert aide, Rachel Rizby- Raz, who was allegedly part of the Rishon Tours Affair.
The charges against Raz have been on hold pending the conclusion of the state’s appeal of Olmert’s acquittal in the Rishon Tours Affair.