An Israeli court on Tuesday sentenced Israeli ex-premier Ehud Olmert to six years in prison for accepting bribes linked to a major property development in Jerusalem.

An Israeli court on Tuesday sentenced Israeli ex-premier Ehud Olmert to six years in prison for accepting bribes linked to a major property development in Jerusalem.

The main Israeli radio stations said Judge David Rosen handed Olmert six years of jail time and a fine of a million shekels ($290,000/210,000 euros) over his involvement in one of the country's worst-ever corruption scandals.

The 68-year-old, who was convicted six weeks ago on two charges of taking bribes, is the first former prime minister of the Zionist entity to face jail time for corruption.

"He held the most important and central position and ended up convicted of contemptible crimes," the judge said in passing the sentence.

"A public official who accepts bribes is tantamount to a traitor," he said, adding a finding of "moral turpitude" - moral unfitness to hold public office.

Following a two-year trial, Olmert was convicted on March 31 of bribes to the tune of 560,000 shekels (now $160,000/116,000 euros) with the judge also saying he had committed perjury.