[JURIST] Israeli Attorney General Meni Mazuz [official profile] said Sunday that he intends to charge former prime minister Ehmud Olmert [JURIST news archive] with additional corruption charges for allegedly abusing a previous governmental post to benefit friends and business partners. Mazuz alleged that, before becoming prime minister, Olmert used a position at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor [official website] to give government grants [Jerusalem Post report] to former law partner Uri Messer [Haaretz backgrounder] and his clients. Investigators into the case said that Olmert should have recused himself [Haaretz report] from ministerial consideration of the grants given his conflict of interest. Mazuz said that there must still be a final hearing on the charges before an indictment is filed against Olmert.

This is the third set of corruption charges that Olmert, who resigned in September, may face. Last month, Mazuz announced that he may charge Olmert [JURIST report] with fraud, violation of public confidence, and the receipt of illicit perquisites for violating the 1973 Party Financing Law [text] by soliciting more than $150,000 from businessman Morris Talansky [JURIST report]. Olmert may also face criminal charges for double billing [JURIST report] the state and charitable donors for travel expenses in 2002-2006.