Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    JERUSALEM, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday was put on the grill again by police over corruption allegations that eventually forced him to resign from the premiership last month.

    During the two-hour questioning session, the eighth since a new probe against him went public in May, investigators focused on the Investment Center case, in which he allegedly granted substantial state funds to a company represented by one of his close associates during his tenure as industry, trade and labor minister, local Army Radio reported.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem September 28, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The police also questioned him over the Cremieux apartment case, in which he is suspected of purchasing an apartment on Jerusalem's Cremieux Street for a reduced price in exchange for speeding up sales in the building project, according to the report.

    Meanwhile, investigators also referred to the so-called Olmertours case, in which Olmert was accused of double-billing the same overseas tours and using the surplus money for family tours abroad, yet Olmert refused to answer their questions, stressing that the police announced last month that the case had been closed, local daily Ha'aretz reported.

    Other than the three cases, the 63-year-old Olmert also faces at least another three probes, including suspicions that he took a large sum of illicit money, much stuffed in envelopes, from U.S. businessman Morris Talansky, before he became premier in 2006.

    Olmert denies any wrongdoing in all the cases against him. Yet Israeli police has recommended state prosecution to indict Olmert on criminal charges in the money envelopes and Olmertours cases.

    The latest interrogation was also the first since the probes-laden Olmert officially resigned from the national leadership ten days ago. The police said that he was likely to be questioned again in the coming weeks.

    Olmert will remain in power as caretaker prime minister until anew government is formed, whether by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who succeeded him as chairperson of the ruling Kadima party, or after an early general election.

    The outgoing premier has said he would resign if indicted. Yet his spokesman Mark Regev recently stressed that even if Olmert is indicted during the interim period, he would not resign again.