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Israel's former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been cleared of corruption charges by a court in Jerusalem. Lieberman, a key ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is now expected return to the post of foreign minister. The charges related to his alleged involvement in the promotion of Israel's former ambassador to Belarus.
The 55-year-old Moldavian-born politician, who stepped down after the charges of fraud and breach of trust were filed in 2012, heads the Yisrael Beitenu party. His party ran on a list with Likud which won the general election in January. Lieberman had denied all counts and told reporters after the verdict that, after 17 years of allegations, "I want to put this chapter behind me".
Prosecutors had accused Lieberman of intervening to promote Zeev Ben Aryeh, the former ambassador to Belarus, to a post in Latvia. They argued it had been a reward for a tip-off about a separate criminal investigation he was facing. If he had been convicted and sentenced to more than three months in prison, he would have been be forced to give up his parliamentary seat. However, correspondents say Wednesday's acquittal paves the way for his political comeback.
Since his resignation, PM Benjamin Netanyahu has served as interim foreign minister, keeping the post open for Lieberman.
