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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: January 26, 2006 |
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The eldest son of stricken Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday expressed deep regret for his actions after pleading guilty to several counts of illegal fundraising for his father's 1999 election campaign.
At a sentencing hearing in a Tel Aviv court, Omri Sharon said he was inexperienced in politics when he began working to get his father elected as Prime Minister of Israel.
"I have made grave mistakes and I'm sorry about that," he said.
Sharon pleaded guilty in November to falsifying corporate documents, perjury and violating party funding laws. Under a plea deal, prosecutors dropped charges of fraud and breach of trust but are demanding imprisonment on the other counts.
He resigned his parliamentary seat earlier this month, ahead of the sentencing. The charges carry a maximum of five years in prison, but the sentence is expected to be lighter, possibly a suspended term or community service.
Under Israeli law, a legislator convicted of an offense defined as one of "moral turpitude" loses his or her seat. Ariel Sharon, now comatose after a Jan. 4 stroke, was not charged in the same scandal. |
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