Ariel Sharon has been left one step away from corruption charges and being forced from office by the indictment of a businessman on Wednesday for allegedly paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Israeli prime minister’s family for political favours.
David Appel, a power broker in Sharon’s Likud party, is accused of paying about $700 000 five years ago in return for Sharon applying pressure on the Greek government to approve the construction of a holiday resort and casino on an Aegean island. Sharon was the foreign minister at the time.
”Appel gave Ariel Sharon a bribe in recognition of activities connected to the fulfilment of his public positions,” the indictment said.
Prosecutors said they would decide in the coming months whether to charge Sharon. Last night Israeli television reported that the acting attorney general, Edna Arbel, had said she believed there was sufficient evidence to indict the prime minister, but the decision would probably be left to her successor.
But the indictment of Appel could be damaging enough to bring down the prime minister, particularly since he is also being investigated in connection with campaign contributions and bribery.
On Wednesday the Labour party tabled a no-confidence motion which goes before parliament on Monday. Its leader, Shimon Peres, called on Sharon to explain his version of events to the public.
A leading Labour MP, Ophir Pines-Paz, called the affair a ”political earthquake”, adding: ”The prime minister cannot maintain his right to silence in light of the harsh and sad reality that he appears to be a bribe taker.
”This is very sad, very grave, but this is the reality of Israel. There’s Sopranos on television, and there’s Sopranos in Israel. Israeli citizens deserve clean leaders who do not have connections to criminals.”
The prime minister’s office rejected calls for his resignation and said the indictment against Appel provided no proof that Sharon had knowingly accepted bribes. Most of his cabinet colleagues remained silent on the issue, prompting some politicians to speculate that they see him as politically vulnerable and open to challenge. Further doubt was cast on his ability to stay in office when it was revealed that the Likud leader in parliament, Gideon Sa’ar, had prepared a bill setting the procedure for replacing a prime minister who resigns.
Appel is accused of hiring Sharon’s youngest son, Gilad, as an adviser in marketing his planned casino resort to elderly Europeans, even though it had not been built and Gilad Sharon had no experience in such work. He is alleged to have promised him $3-million, in addition to a monthly salary of thousands of dollars.
The indictment says Sharon lobbied Greek politicians on behalf of the casino; Appel had paid him $100 000, and about $580 000 had been transferred to Ariel Sharon’s ranch. Appel’s lawyer, Moshe Israel, said outside the court: ”There was no bribery, there was no giver and there was no taker.”
The justice minister, Yosef Lapid, who is a deputy prime minister but not a member of Likud, was cautious about the implications. He said it was common in Israel for those who paid bribes to be charged without those who took the money being tried.
He said in a statement: ”There is no reason to demand the resignation of ministers for suspicions that have not been raised against them, but against others, and furthermore in matters that have still not been proved by the court.”
Others, such as the Labour MP and former cabinet minister Avraham Shohat, said Sharon should quit immediately. ”He should already have resigned in the light of earlier events. What happened today is just an extra. He is polluting the atmosphere,” he said.
The investigations are taking a toll on Sharon’s popularity. Although he was the first sitting prime minister for 20 years to be re-elected, half the voters now say they no longer trust him. The opinion polls make the former Likud prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, the party’s favourite to succeed him. – Guardian Unlimited Â