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Sharon's son told to hand over documents
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-29 16:44 Israel's Supreme Court on Monday ordered Ariel
Sharon's son to hand over tapes and documents in two corruption cases, including
one that allegedly also involves the prime minister.
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| In this combination image, Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon, right, is seen in Knesset, Israel's parliament in a
Feb. 2, 2004 photo and his son Gilad Sharon, left, is seen at Israel's
Supreme Court in Jerusalem Mar.10, 2004.
[AP] | The decision came a day after Israel's chief prosecutor recommended that the
elder Sharon and his son be indicted in the so-called "Greek Island Affair," in
which a real estate developer allegedly paid the Sharon family hundreds of
thousands of dollars in exchange for help in promoting a tourism project.
However, the final decision on whether to indict Sharon for bribe-taking is
up to Israel's attorney general who is expected to rule within a month.
Sharon's son, Gilad, refused for months to hand over documents to police
investigators. On Monday, the Supreme Court turned down his appeal against a
lower court ruling ordering him to hand over the material.
Gilad Sharon's lawyer, Micha Fettman, said his client would comply, but
suggested it might take time to obtain the documents. He said Gilad Sharon would
have to get the documents requested by the court from third parties.
At issue in the "Greek Island Affair" is an attempt by real estate developer
David Appel to promote a tourism project on a Greek island in 1999, at a time
when Sharon was foreign minister. Appel hired Gilad Sharon as an adviser and
allegedly paid him hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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| Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon pauses prior to the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem
office Sunday March 28, 2004. [AP] | At the time,
investigators were wiretapping Appel, the Haaretz daily said Monday. According
to one tape, Appel told the elder Sharon in one conversation that "your son is
going to earn a lot of money," the Haaretz daily reported Monday.
At a later point in the conversation, Sharon said: "The island is in our
hands."
Haaretz said Sharon's statement was one of the pieces of evidence that
persuaded state attorney Edna Arbel to recommend an indictment.
However, the attorney general, Meni Mazuz, considers the case "problematic"
because of the lack of conclusive evidence that Sharon accepted a bribe, the
Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported Monday. Mazuz plans to consult with other
jurists before making a final decision, media reports said.
Opposition lawmakers have called on Sharon to resign in light of the state
attorney's recommendation. Infrastructure Minister Josef Paritzky said Sunday
that Sharon must resign if an indictment is issued, or his Shinui Party will
withdraw from the coalition.
In a second corruption case, police are investigating a $1.5 million loan
from a South African businessman to Sharon's two sons, Gilad and Omri, used to
cover illegal contributions to his 1999 election campaign.
The developments in the case come as Sharon is formulating a plan to withdraw
from parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Analysts have said that, in light of
the suspicions, Sharon may speed up the implementation of the plan since it is
widely supported by the public.
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