January 5, 2006	Thursday	Zilhaj 4, 1426

JERUSALEM, Jan 4: Israeli police are to examine computer data which they believe will show Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s family received an alleged three million dollar bribe, public radio reported on Wednesday.

Police officials confirmed late Tuesday that several laptop computers and mobile phones belonging to the family of Austrian financier Martin Schlaff had been seized during a raid in December.

Investigators believe the data contains fresh evidence which will enable them to move forward with a long-running investigation into a corruption scandal surrounding the Sharon family which concerns illegal campaign contributions during the 1999 elections.

Until now, police have been unable to examine the equipment following a legal appeal by Schlaff’s brother, James, that saw a court order temporarily prevent them from accessing the data, police said.

However, Schlaff has since gone back on his complaint, meaning police will have access to the data ‘within the coming days’, public radio said.

Police believe some of the money was used by the Sharon family to pay back campaign contributions which had been deemed illegal.

The story emerged late on Tuesday after the private Channel 10 television obtained a police document outlining their suspicions which was submitted earlier this week to a magistrate’s court near Tel Aviv.

Officials in Sharon’s office flatly refused to comment.

However Roni Bar-On, chairman of Sharon’s party, dismissed the report as a political leak aimed at disrupting the March elections in Israel.—AFP