Israeli Minister in Corruption Scandal

Israeli police are recommending that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman be indicted on charges of "bribery, fraud, money laundering, witness harassment and obstruction of justice," reports Haaretz. The attorney general must approve the charges, which could put away the minister for 31 years. "For 13 years, the police have conducted a campaign of persecution against me," the foreign minister said in a statement denying wrongdoing. "In a country governed by civil laws, a person—even if he is a minister—is innocent until proven guilty." The investigation, which began in 2006, alleges Lieberman set up multiple front businesses through which he laundered millions of shekels. He is also accused of changing the shell companies' names when he suspected police had found out about them.