Former Israeli FM facing trial in Jerusalem

The trial of Yisrael Beytenu leader and former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman starts on Sunday in a dramatic case that will determine his political fate. Lieberman, who was the ally of Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu in the latest elections, will face charges of corruption and dishonesty, put against him after long years of investigation, and it is expected he would deny all charges. This trail will likely go down in history along with the cases involving former prime minister Ehud Olmert and former president Moshe Katsav, who was sentenced for seven years over sexual violations, the Jerusalem Post Israeli daily reporte4s on Sunday. If Lieberman pleads guilty and accountable for moral corruption, he would have to resign from office. After months of speculation about a plea bargain agreement, Lieberman is "expected to plead not guilty and deny all the charges against him," the newspaper added. If Lieberman, 54, is convicted and his actions are found to constitute moral turpitude, he will have to resign from the Knesset and be out of politics for a minimum of seven years, it pointed out. On January 27, Jerusalem District Court President Shlomit Dotan announced the date of the first hearing and that three judges will hear the case instead of the one required by law, following a request by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein due to the great "public interest" in this matter, the daily added. Lieberman was announced a suspect on December 27 of violations including fraud and breach of public trust in relation to the appointment of an Israeli diplomat.