51.   On Thursday, five senior Jerusalem city employees and four architects and building contractors were arrested in what police believe may be a classic municipal corruption case.

52.   Several officials involved in anticorruption efforts said they hope that the visible commitment to vigorously prosecute corruption cases will deter most government employees from criminal acts.

53.   Skuratov has claimed that the film was part of a blackmail attempt to stop him from investigating political corruption cases.

54.   Since then, agency officials said, hardly any senior managers have been denied bonuses, pay increases or promotions as a result of corruption cases among their staffs.

55.   Some Justice Department officials said the issue would probably be turned over to the public integrity unit at the Justice Department headquarters, which prosecutes official corruption cases.

56.   So, corruption cases that had only a few weeks earlier gripped the nation, have faded into nothing.

57.   Some French judges pursuing the corruption cases have become almost folk heroes, although to a lesser extent than in Italy.

58.   That record creates little confidence it will take on the powerful ruling party interests involved in the Raul Salinas corruption case.

59.   That would take the burden off district attorneys who do not have either the resources or the inclination to pursue political corruption cases.

60.   The case is also presenting a challenge to the presiding judge, who must consider often-contradictory court precedents from an increasing number of public corruption cases.