JERUSALEM/SOUTH AFRICA: A CORRUPTION SCANDAL LINKED TO ISRAELI PM ARIEL SHARON HAS TURNED THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ELECTIO INTO AN OPEN RACE

Record ID: 645667

  • Title: JERUSALEM/SOUTH AFRICA: A CORRUPTION SCANDAL LINKED TO ISRAELI PM ARIEL SHARON HAS TURNED THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ELECTIO INTO AN OPEN RACE
  • Date: 9th January 2003
  • Summary: (W8) JERUSALEM (JANUARY 9, 2003) (REUTERS) SV ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON ENTERING PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM MCU PRESS AT CONFERENCE MCU (Hebrew) SHARON SAYING: "Everything I did was legal and proper. I repeat everything I did is correct and legal. If I will be asked to give testimony, I will give testimony, I have no problem giving testimony. I have nothing to hide." MCU PRESS LISTENING TO SHARON MCU (Hebrew) SHARON SAYING: "I came here tonight to respond to the disgraceful false charge that was made against me and against the Likud, for one reason, to topple the Israeli government. It is liable and an attempt to grab the government with lies. I know that everything was done appropriately and that everything was reported properly. Gilad has documents that prove everything. Those documents were presented at the press conference." SV PRESS LISTENING TO PRIME MINISTER MCU/LV SHARON SPEKING (HEBREW)/PRESS CONFERENCE (2 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 24th January 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JERUSALEM / CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
  • City:
  • Country: Jerusalem Jerusalem South Africa
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA1WGKSEDUV0M866PHSMM8FQA5T
  • Story Text: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, embroiled in a corruption scandal which has cut into his lead ahead of Israel's general election, was taken off air by radio and television stations halfway through his 50-minute appearance, being accused by the Israel's election commission of using the platform for campaigning in violation of election rules.
    Meanwhile, a South African businessman has cleared the Israeli Prime Minister, saying that a loan he made to two sons of Sharon was an innocent agreement with the children of an old friend.
    Sharon angrily lashed out at centre-left Labour and its supporters in a speech he was giving to reporters in Jerusalem on Thursday (January 9), charging that for political motives they had spread "vicious gossip" about him, his family and his right-wing Likud party.
    "Everything I did was legal and proper. I repeat everything I did is correct and legal. If I will be asked to give testimony, I will give testimony, I have no problem giving testimony" Sharon said.
    A corruption scandal linked to Sharon and his two sons has turned the campaign for the January 28 election into an open race after opinion polls showed support for his front-running Likud plummeting.
    Sharon, at times pounding the lecturn for emphasis, said there was no evidence of bribery in the Likud funding case and that one of his adult sons had documents to prove that everything was done legally.
    "I came here tonight to respond to the disgraceful false charge that was made against me and against the Likud, for one reason, to topple the Israeli government. It is liable and an attempt to grab the government with lies. I know that everything was done appropriately and that everything was reported properly. Gilad has documents that prove everything.
    Those documents were presented at the press conference" said Sharon.
    Sharon again denied any wrongdoing. "I have nothing to hide," he said.
    Shortly after that, Israel's election commission ordered television and radio stations to stop broadcasting halfway through Sharon's 50-minute appearance, accusing him of using it for campaigning in violation of election rules.
    The scandal focuses on funding irregularities in Sharon's 1999 Likud election campaign and includes accusations of wrongdoing over a $1.5 million loan from South African businessman, Cyril Kern. Israeli law bans political funding from abroad.
    But Kern denied any wrongdoig by Sharon.
    Kern said he had lent money to Sharon's sons in connection with a ranch they manage in Israel, but that the loan had been repaid in full with interest.
    "The boys needed some assistance," Kern said. "As a friend I was happy to do so... There seems to be some kind of political mud-slinging, but it's not my scene and I don't want to be a part of it in any way.
    A spokesman for South Africa's justice ministry told Reuters on Thursday that Israel had requested help in investigating the loan.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register