Former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski was arrested for allegedly accepting bribes in a real estate project.
Lupolianski was arrested Wednesday in connection with the Holyland scandal. Five other officials, including a former aide to Mayor Ehud Olmert, were arrested last week in connection with the corruption scandal. Lupolianski is the most senior official to be arrested in the scandal thus far.
Lupolianski is suspected of accepting about $750,000 in bribes during the construction of the Holyland apartment project in Jerusalem, built on the site of the former Holyland Hotel.
Also Wednesday, a spokesman for former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Olmert would cut short a planned visit abroad to return to Israel, since he is wanted for questioning in the corruption investigation, Haaretz reported.
The Holyland project started while Olmert served as mayor of Jerusalem and ended with his successor, Lupolianski.
The scandal, which became public last week, is being described as one of the worst corruption scandals in Israeli history.