'Sharon won't resign' - deputy

2004-03-29 10:03

Jerusalem - Israeli deputy prime minister Ehud Olmert on Monday said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would remain in power despite growing pressure over his suspected involvement in a corruption scandal.

"I don't have the slightest doubt. Sharon will continue to be prime minister. He was comfortably elected twice, and he doubled the number of Likud's seats in parliament," Olmert told public radio.

Israel's chief prosecutor on Sunday submitted recommendations to the attorney general that could lead to Sharon being indicted for receiving bribes from contractor David Appel.

The recommendation comes two months after Appel was indicted on charges of trying to bribe Sharon through the then foreign minister's son Gilad, in exchange for their help in securing a major Greek property deal.

National infrastructure minister Yosef Paritzky said on Sunday that Sharon should step down if he was indicted. His call was echoed by several members of the opposition.

The Israeli Supreme Court on Monday ordered Sharon's son Gilad to turn in relevant documents in the corruption investigation against his father, court sources said.

Five justices of Israel highest court decided that Gilad Sharon had to hand over to the police all documents vital to the investigation into the so-called "Greek island" scandal, the sources added.

- AFP