Israeli Finance Min to step down, cabinet minister reacts, File
(24 Apr 2007) SHOTLIST ++True Date Created = 22/04/2007++ April 22, 2007 1. Sign for Israeli prime minister's office 2. Various of Israeli ministers arriving for cabinet meeting 3. Various of ministers at meeting table 4. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Ehud Olmert, Israeli Prime Minister: "This morning the finance minister called me and said that he wished to suspend himself temporarily following the investigation into his matter. I accepted his announcement." 5. Cutaway of ministers 6. Various wides of Olmert speaking FILE: April 18, 2007 7. Various of Israeli Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson and Olmert at news conference April 22, 2007 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Barak Calev, lawyer at the 'Movement for Quality Government in Israel': "We think that as long as the severe suspicions are under investigation, it is improper for the minister of finance to stick to his office. There is severe damage caused to the public trust in the democratic institutions as long as such a high up minister is under investigation. And for that, it is better for him and for the Israeli democracy, that he will protect his innocence while not in office." 9. Side shot of Calev STORYLINE Israeli Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson announced on Sunday that he would step down from his post for three months while the police investigates him on a suspected embezzlement case, his lawyer said. Hirchson is suspected of failing to report a 2003 embezzlement committed under his watch when he headed a workers' union. Speaking at a regular cabinet meeting Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, said: "This morning the finance minister called me and said that he wished to suspend himself temporarily following the investigation into his matter. I accepted his announcement." According to the allegations, one of Hirchson's employees told him he had taken 5.6 (m) million shekels (1.3 million US dollars) to cover his brother's gambling loans on the black market. Hirchson dismissed the man from his post, but allegedly did not report the incident to the police. Hirchson's lawyer, Yaakov Weinrot, said on Sunday that his client would step down for three months while the proceedings against him continue. No replacement was immediately announced. Hirchson has been questioned four times by the police's economic investigative unit over a period of four months. His lawyer stressed that Hirchson was not resigning his post, only stepping down temporarily. A lawyer with the non-profit organisation, the 'Movement for Quality Government in Israel,' said he supported Hirchson's temporary withdrawal from public office. "There is severe damage caused to the public trust in the democratic institutions as long as such a high up minister is under investigation. And for that, it is better for him and for the Israeli democracy, that he will protect his innocence while not in office," Barak Calev said. Israel's attorney general is slated to decide soon whether to charge Hirchson with a crime. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
