Sharon denies bribery scandal link

Israel’s Ariel Sharon told police on Thursday he knew nothing of dealings his son had with a man charged in a bribery scandal that has cast a shadow over the Prime Minister’s plans to uproot Jewish settlements in Gaza. Sources said the PM told investigators he was unaware of his son Gilad’s deals with an Israeli businessman friend charged with trying to bribe Sharon when he was foreign minister in the 1990s.

Police involved in the bribery investigation questioned Sharon for two and a half hours at his official Jerusalem residence.

‘‘Sharon told the police he was not aware of Gilad’s employment as an adviser to (developer) David Appel, and gave no new information about the case,’’ a source close to the inquiry said.

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‘‘The police investigation will wind up soon and the Attorney General will make a final decision on the case in two months.’’

A senior police source said earlier Sharon had cooperated fully and there were no immediate plans to question him again. Analysts say Sharon would probably be forced from office if he were indicted. — (Reuters)