Israeli foreign minister quits after indictment

[No Elephants]

Israeli foreign minister quits after indictment
JERUSALEM | Fri Dec 14, 2012 9:57am EST

(Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned on Friday after being charged with fraud and breach of trust, in a move that could have repercussions on next month's election.

"I have decided to resign my post as foreign minister and deputy prime minister and ... also to remove my (parliamentary) immunity forthwith so I can end this matter quickly, without delay and clear my name absolutely," Lieberman said in an emailed statement.

Israel's Justice Ministry said on Thursday it would charge Lieberman over alleged irregularities tied to the promotion of an Israeli diplomat who had leaked him privileged information about a police probe into his activities.

More serious allegations, including money-laundering and bribery, were dropped, but even the lesser charges cast a cloud over his political future and within 24 hours of receiving the ministry report, he decided to stand down.

It was unclear if he would still stand in the January 22 general election, although Israeli newspapers have suggested he might be forced to sit on the sidelines as the judicial case moved ahead.

Lieberman's right-wing party Yisrael Beiteinu (Our Home is Israel) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud group have formed an electoral pact ahead of the ballot and opinion polls had predicted they would win.

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(Reporting by Dan Williams; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Alison Williams)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/14/us-israel-lieberman-urgent-idUSBRE8BD0QS20121214


I never heard of parliamentary immunity before. Diplomatic immunity, I can understand. Legislators' immunity from criminal preosecution for corruption, not so much.