Lieberman to Quit Politics if Convicted

Local Editor

"Israel" "Yisrael Beytenu" chairman Avigdor Lieberman, hinted Monday that "if he is convicted of corruption charges, he will not stay in politics."

However, Lieberman added in an interview with "Israel" Radio, that he is confident that he will beat the charges brought against him.

The former "Israeli" Foreign Minister agreed with recent remarks made by Yair Shamir, the number four candidate on "Likud-Beytenu's" list, who said, "A public official who falters while in public service must make way for those who have not. Whether the offense carries the designation of ‘moral turpitude' or not is irrelevant."
"I have no problem with this statement and without a doubt, Shamir will be in a senior position in the "Likud-Beytenu" government," he said.

Moreover, Lieberman did express the absolute confidence that he would be acquitted, basing this on his feelings and on his familiarity with the evidence against him.
"I guess if someone brought about disgrace, a person has to draw conclusions. Because I know the facts very well, I have no doubt that in the process I will come out innocent," Lieberman said.
He added that if he could not serve as foreign minister until the end of the trial, he would like to be involved in diplomatic and military decisions in some capacity, perhaps as chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and War Committee.

Lieberman said he expects "Likud-Beytenu" to win more than 40 seats, despite what current polls predict. "I stopped taking surveys seriously," he said. "My feeling is that polls have turned into part of a campaign and the media has morphed from those who cover elections to an active part of them."

Lieberman resigned as foreign minister last month, shortly before he was indicted for illegally helping former ambassador to Belarus, Ze'ev Ben Aryeh, secure a diplomatic appointment.

If Lieberman is found guilty, and if the crime is deemed to constitute moral turpitude, he would be ineligible to serve as a Knesset member for seven years.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org