News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Strong suspicions that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert illegally received undocumented cash contributions from American businessmen follow a string of recent scandals, most of them involving Kadima officials. Omri Sharon, son of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, is serving a seven-month term for campaign fund violations. His father was mentioned in investigations but never was charged.

Prime Minister Olmert's close friend Avraham Hirschson was forced to resign as Finance Minister last year because of suspected embezzlement of more than one million dollars from a union fund that he administered. Another close friend, Vice Prime Minister Chaim Ramon (Kadima), returned to the Cabinet after a court ruled there was no "shame" in his offense of forcefully kissing a female soldier who worked in his office.

Labor party chairman Ehud Barak also was investigated but never was charged for campaign fund irregularities, including receiving undocumented cash contraventions.