Venezuelan twist in Israeli spy-satellite services contract corruption scandal!

Israel's corruption scandal took another bizarre twist yesterday when police said they suspected that a Long Island millionaire expected to deliver crucial testimony in court next week got Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to help him sell spy satellites in South America. Olmert was interrogated for the second time after telling his inner circle he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to remain in office. Police suspect him of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars during his tenure as Israel's trade minister from Morris Talansky, a Woodmere, LI, businessman, in return for favors. Sources said investigators were looking into charges that Olmert asked an Israeli diplomat in Venezuela to help Imagesat, in which Talansky is a major investor, sell its spy-satellite services to Hugo Chavez's government. The $18 million deal never went through because of Israeli concerns that the technology would pass from Venezuela to Iran.