Quds city, Jan 3, SPA -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son Omri resigned his seat in the Israeli parliament on Tuesday after being convicted in a long-running party funding scandal, officials said. The move had little bearing on the prime minister's prospects in a March 28 general election, as Omri Sharon had served as a deputy in the right-wing Likud Party, which his father quit in November to form the centrist movement "Kadima." The 41-year-old former lawmaker gave up his parliamentary immunity last year after being charged with funneling foreign donations, in violation of Israeli election law, to Ariel Sharon's 1999 race to head the Likud. He was convicted in a plea bargain and awaits sentencing. The charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years in jail, but Israeli media speculated he would receive a shorter term. Israel's attorney-general decided not to press charges against the prime minister, citing a lack of evidence, according to a report of Reuters. Omri Sharon is considered a major political power-broker who will continue advising his father should he win a third term.
