Police have evidence that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s family received £1.5m (€2.2m) in bribes from an Austrian businessman, part of a complicated case involving illegal campaign contributions, Channel 10 TV reported today.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s eldest son resigned his parliamentary seat today, ahead of a January 22 sentencing over charges of illegal fund-raising for his father’s 1999 election campaign, a spokeswoman said.