Plea bargain likely for Sharon's son

A plea bargain between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son, Omri, and the state prosecutor over illegal fundraising charges may be finalized next week.

Ynet, the Web site of Yediot Aharonot newspaper, said that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz does not intend to drop demands for a jail-term sentence.

Mazuz told reporters he would not "give up on the principle -- the penal code, which is the overriding factor. This is a very serious case with solid evidence," Ynet reported.

The issue covers alleged illegal funding for the prime minister's campaign in Likud primaries in 1999. Omri Sharon's lawyers will try to ensure that he will not serve time behind bars. Israelis sentenced to short jail terms may request to serve it in community service, thus being allowed to go home at the end of the day.

Sharon's son is a member of the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Mazuz found no grounds to charge his father, who denied involvement in fundraising.

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