Ehud Olmert hints at political comeback "This is not the last you will hear from me in the next few days," he said. The former prime minister was visibly relieved as the verdict was read out. He had long protested his innocence, saying that he was hounded out of office by overzealous prosecutors pursuing a political vendetta. While the claim may be overstated, there is no doubt that Mr Olmert's legal travails hampered progress. The Palestinian leadership suggested that it held back from accepting a deal as it became apparent that he was unlikely to survive in office. The verdicts prompted denunciations of Moshe Lador, the state prosecutor. Mr Olmert's allies in the Kadima party he once led accused Mr Lador of allowing blind ambition to usurp the democratic process by forcing an innocent man from power. The prosecution's case rested on two principal charges accusing Mr Olmert of double-billing charities for overseas fund-raising trips and taking bribes in the form of cash stuffed into envelopes from an American businessman. The court rejected the prosecution's arguments on both charges. Kadima MPs invited him to rejoin the faction, although others suggested that he was more likely to found a new centrist party. A return to Israeli politics however is not guaranteed. Mr Olmert still faces a separate trial where he is one of 13 defendants facing charges related to a bribery scandal surrounding a controversial real estate project in Jerusalem. With a verdict not expected for another year, Mr Olmert may have to wait until after Israel's next general election to stake his claim. Although he retains a loyal support base from Israeli centrists, not everyone is convinced his moral standing has recovered sufficiently. "The fact that Olmert was found guilty of breach of trust is extremely severe, and the verdict should spell the end of his political career," said Zehava Gal-On, an MP with the left-wing Meretz party.