Olmert was convicted on two counts of bribery by Tel Aviv District Court Judge David Rozen in March and sentenced to six years in prison in May.
Olmert’s lawyer, Eyal Rozovsky, who joined his prior lawyer Eli Zohar for the retrial, attacked the heart of the prosecution’s case until this point.
Ex-prime minister facing retrial in Talansky Affair following release of Zaken recordings.
Following the parole board ruling to shorten her sentence, she was expected to be released on January 26.
Olmert told former aide Zaken in taped phone call that Barak “has millions, tens of millions, stashed away in secret bank accounts in Switzerland, or somewhere,” allegedly from weapons deals.
Olmert's former chief-of-staff took the state's deal and turned against her around three-decades-long boss to get several years of prison cut from her sentence and said she never received the funds.
Eyal Arad asked Olmert’s longtime chief of staff Shula Zaken whether Olmert had skeletons in the closet when he took over as Kadima’s PM candidate; Zaken reportedly said no.
Zaken responds to pressure about taping Olmert: "I'm glad I had this joker to play."
Olmert's lead lawyer in the retrial was trying to portray Zaken as a serial liar whose current testimony for the state against Olmert cannot be trusted.
Trial continues on Wednesday and likely to least through December and January, which will cover Zaken’s testimony and Olmert’s and others’ counter-testimony attacking her narrative, trustworthines.