This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24831957
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Lieberman cleared of corruption | Lieberman cleared of corruption |
(34 minutes later) | |
Israel's former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been cleared of corruption charges by a court in Jerusalem. | Israel's former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been cleared of corruption charges by a court in Jerusalem. |
Mr Lieberman, a key ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could now return to his post as head of the foreign ministry. | Mr Lieberman, a key ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could now return to his post as head of the foreign ministry. |
The charges related to his alleged involvement in the promotion of Israel's former ambassador to Belarus. | The charges related to his alleged involvement in the promotion of Israel's former ambassador to Belarus. |
A guilty verdict had threatened to shake up Israel's ruling coalition. | A guilty verdict had threatened to shake up Israel's ruling coalition. |
Mr Lieberman, 55, who stepped down after the charges of fraud and breach of trust were filed, heads the right-wing Yisrael Beitenu party. | |
Outspoken | |
His party ran on a list with Likud which narrowly won general elections in January. | |
He had denied all counts and told reporters after the verdict that, after 17 years of allegations, "I want to put this chapter behind me". | |
Prosecutors had accused Mr Lieberman of intervening to promote Zeev Ben Aryeh, the former ambassador to Belarus, to a post in Latvia. | |
They argued it was a reward for a tip-off about a separate criminal investigation he was facing. | |
If he had been convicted and sentenced to more than three months in prison, he would have been be forced to give up his parliamentary seat. | |
But correspondents say Wednesday's acquittal paves the way for his political comeback. | |
Since his resignation, Mr Netanyahu has served as interim foreign minister, keeping the post open. | |
One of Israel's most outspoken politicians, Mr Lieberman was born in Moldova and was one of the million Israelis who immigrated from the former Soviet Union. | |
To the right of Mr Netanyahu politically, he has been a staunch critic of the Palestinian Authority and its leader Mahmoud Abbas. |