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Israel’s former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was sentenced on Tuesday to six years in prison for his role in wide-ranging bribery case, capping a stunning fall from grace for one of the most powerful men in the country.

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Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, shown here at the Tel Aviv District Court in Israel on May 13, 2014, denies any wrongdoing in a property deal, approved when he served as Jerusalem’s mayor, that led to the construction of the hilltop Holyland apartment towers, a hulking stone complex widely seen as one of the city’s worst eyesores.Finbarr O’Reilly/The Associated Press

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A lawyer by profession, Olmert began his political career in the 1970s as a lawmaker who targeted organized crime and was elected mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003Jerome Delay/The Associated Press

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Olmert, left, and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin are escorted under heavy security during their visit to the Arab and Jewish parts of Jerusalem on Jan. 10, 1995.Patrick Baz/The Associated Press

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Olmert became prime minister in January, 2006, after Ariel Sharon suffered a debilitating stroke. He subsequently led their newly formed Kadima Party to victory in parliamentary elections on a platform of pushing further peace moves with the Palestinians.Moshe Milner/The Associated Press

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Olmert, left, and Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres look through binoculars during a meeting with former Gaza Strip settlers near Avshalom, in the Negev Desert, on Nov. 27, 2006. As Israel’s leader, Olmert waged war against militants in Lebanon in 2006 and the Gaza Strip in 2008.Moshe Milner/Reuters

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Olmert hosts Israeli scientists at his sukkah, a traditional hut, in Jerusalem on Oct. 15, 2008.Sebastien Scheiner/Reuters

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Olmert, shown here in the Knesset on June 18, 2008, launched a military invasion of the Gaza Strip in late 2008 that drew heavy international criticism.Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

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Olmert, second from right, holds a joint news conference with Czech premier Mirek Topolanek, right, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, second from left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, in Jerusalem on Jan. 18, 2009.Uriel Sinai/Reuters

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Olmert attends a handover ceremony with new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, at the residence of President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem on April 1, 2009.Menahem Kahana/Reuters

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Known as one of the country’s most gregarious politicians, Olmert sat largely stony-faced during the court session on May 13, 2014, and made no comment afterward.Jack Guez/Reuters

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