Fmr Israeli PM Olmert should leave jail Sunday: parole board

An Israeli parole board on Thursday approved former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's petition to be released from prison after serving two-thirds of his sentence on corruption charges. The prosecution had requested the board to turn down the petition amid an ongoing investigation into alleged leaking of classified material by the former premier. Unless the prosecution appeals the board's decision, Olmert will be released on Sunday from the city of Ramle's Maasiyahu Prison where he has been serving his sentence in a special wing for white collar criminals. Olmert was incarcerated in February 2016 after becoming the first former Israeli prime minister to be sentenced to jail. He served as the country's leader from 2006 to 2009 but was forced out of office by corruption scandals.
The ex-premier has recently been under investigation for using his lawyers to smuggle parts of a memoir, allegedly including classified material, out of prison. It is unclear whether a censor had cleared the material for publication as required under Israeli law for a person such as Olmert with knowledge of state secrets.