JERUSALEM Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, said that he will resign if he is indicted after allegations that he accepted illegal campaign donations.

In a televised statement Mr Olmert, who denies the allegation, said that a lawyer handled his finances and that he would not stay in office if he is charged.

Mr Olmert said: “I was elected by you, citizens of Israel, to be the Prime Minister and I don’t intend to shirk this responsibility. At the same time, and even though the law does not require me to do this, I will resign from my job if the Attorney-General decides to issue an indictment against me.”

The police are investigating whether Mr Olmert accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of contributions from Morris “Moshe” Talansky, an American. Israeli law restricts the amount of money politicians can accept from donors.

Moshe Negbi, an Israeli legal expert, told Israel Radio that if the Prime Minister was convicted he could face seven years in jail. (AP)

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