Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman announced Friday he would resign, a day after the country’s Ministry of Justice said he would be charged with breach of trust and fraud.
He said in a statement that he must resign from his position “in light of the circumstances of the case and details of the indictment.”
Liberman maintains he has “not violated any laws.”
His resignation comes five weeks ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for January 22.
Liberman’s party, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party, Likud, have formed a coalition, and Liberman was considered a prime candidate for a top spot in the government if the coalition wins a majority in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
The charges of breach of trust and fraud relate to a case dating to 2009.
Prosecutors said Liberman pushed to get the Israeli Ambassador to Belarus posted to another country after the diplomat allegedly handed over confidential information that included details of a secret police inquiry pertaining to Liberman.
However, Liberman will not face more serious corruption charges including money laundering and witness tampering, because of insufficient evidence, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein said Thursday.
The decision closed a case that has spanned more than a decade and allegedly involved hundreds of millions of dollars transferred through foreign businessmen to companies Liberman owned while he was serving as a Knesset member and minister.
He has long denied all the allegations. “I have always operated according to the law and I have no reason to worry,” Liberman said last year.
Liberman has faced international criticism for his hard-line stance on Israel’s Arab minorities.
His ultra-nationalist party, the second-largest in the governing coalition, is especially popular with immigrants from the former Soviet Union, where Liberman was born and raised.
