Corruption Charge #6

[HeadBanger]

Defense chief urges Israeli leader to step down

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel's defense minister said Wednesday that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should step down while he defends himself against corruption allegations.

Ehud Barak, who also heads Israel's Labor Party, said Olmert's leadership is compromised by the distraction of a corruption investigation. The prime minister should suspend himself, resign or take a vacation, he said.

Olmert's Kadima Party must then choose a new leader "and with the person that replaces him there, we will consider joining hands," Barak said.

If Olmert refuses, Labor will push for elections, he said.

"In light of the situation created and the hefty challenges facing Israel," Barak said, "I don't think the prime minister can run both the country and take care of his personal situation."

Olmert's office had no immediate comment.

Barak, a former prime minister, spoke a day after American businessman Morris Talansky testified that he gave Olmert $150,000 in loans and direct payments over 14 or 15 years.

"I only know that he loved expensive cigars. I know he loved pens, watches. I found it strange," Talansky testified Tuesday.

Olmert is alleged to have taken illegal funds and bribes. The prime minister says the money he received was for legitimate campaign purposes.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/ ... index.html