Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is set to be grilled by police on Wednesday over a simmering corruption scandal involving two of his sons that he has so far fought to brush under the carpet.
His sons have to date exercised their right to remain silent, but Sharon is expected to display a sufficient level of cooperation to fend off criticism.
The government’s legal adviser and Attorney General, Elyakim Rubinstein, has given police the green light to question the premier.
Sharon is due to be asked on Wednesday about allegations that he used a $1,5-million loan from a South African businessman, Cyril Kern, to return contributions for his 1999 campaign for the leadership of his right-wing Likud party that had been deemed illegal, the report added.
Police want to know under what conditions Sharon accepted the loan from Kern, described as a ”personal friend” of the prime minister.
Sharon’s son Omri, a Likud deputy who is believed to have brokered the loan, was questioned for an hour and a half by police earlier this month.
The prime minister brushed off corruption allegations against his family at a news conference last January as ”scornful libel” but has himself so far refrained from answering numerous questions about the affair.
Sharon senior will also have to answer questions about the activities of his second son, Gilad.
Gilad allegedly helped contractor David Appel promote a multimillion-dollar Greek resort in exchange for cash and a commitment by Appel to pour money into the Sharon family’s ranch in the Negev desert.
Also questioned by police, Gilad refused to supply officers with financial documents relating to the affair.
Ariel Sharon publicly scolded fellow Likud MP Naomi Blumenthal for failing to answer police questioning over a cash-for-votes scandal earlier this year and some of his political opponents have called on him to cooperate fully.
The premier, whose popularity ratings are ebbing away, will seek to prevent criticism by taking a different line, but political commentators have already cast doubts over the benefit of questioning Sharon.
”Based on leaks from the prosecution, Sharon is likely to say he had nothing to do with the fund-raising for his campaign,” said political analyst Eytan Gilboa.
”The investigators have to question Sharon in this case but the feeling is that he is not going to be indicted over any major wrongdoing,” he added.
Gilboa also argued that the thorough investigation needed on such a complicated and sensitive affair might not be carried out by Rubinstein, who promised the Justice Ministry to step down in January with a clean slate.
While Sharon appears untouchable on a legal level, Gilboa also predicted Israeli public opinion was more preoccupied with social and economic issues and that ”Mr Teflon” would again emerge unscathed from his closest encounter so far with scandal.
”Based on available evidence and the current national climate, I don’t think this will affect him at all,” he added. — Sapa-AFP