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Sharon's son faces jail in graft case

Omri Sharon

Jerusalem: Ariel Sharon's eldest son, Omri, is facing a prison term and expulsion from Parliament after pleading guilty on Tuesday to laundering illegal funds for his father's election campaign and of lying to investigators. In a move seen as designed to protect Israel's Prime Minister, Omri Sharon made a deal with prosecutors in which he admitted falsifying the financial records of shell companies set up to handle hundreds of thousands of pounds in illegal funds, breaching campaign financing laws and perjury. In return, the prosecution dropped charges of fraud and breach of trust. The State said it would seek a prison sentence for Mr. Omri Sharon (41). He faces up to five years in jail but the sentence is expected to be lighter. His lawyers said the campaign laws were ``too difficult to uphold'' and therefore he should receive only a fine. He will also be expelled from Parliament, where he is an MP for his father's Likud party, if he does not resign first. The guilty plea will strengthen the perception, reflected in opinion polls, that the Sharon family, along with many other politicians, is corrupt.

— © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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