Netanyahu rules out resigning if prosecutors move to indict him

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he would not resign if prosecutors moved to indict him on corruption charges, as authorities probe several cases involving him ahead of April polls.

Netanyahu said he would not step down in the event of being summoned for a hearing by the prosecutor general before the elections, a necessary step ahead of being formally charged.

The veteran premier was addressing a press conference streamed online from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where he is on an official visit.

The prime minister will not be required to resign if charged in any of the three cases of alleged corruption, but he would likely face intense political pressure to do so. "I have no intention to resign, firstly because there will be nothing (to come from the probes), secondly because the law does not oblige me to do so," Netanyahu said in Rio, referring to the hearing process. "That would be a serious breach of Israeli democracy," he added. The attorney general’s decision on any indictments is expected in the coming months and analysts say Netanyahu’s decision to call early elections was a deft manoeuvre to fight any charges with a fresh mandate.