Omri Sharon faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and perjury

The indictment of Omri Sharon, announced last month, follows an investigation into corruption in the funding of his father's party.

The charges relate to Ariel Sharon's 1999 bid to lead the Likud Party and to be its candidate for prime minister.

Attention will be focused on how the charges affect the prime minister, who has consistently denied involvement.

If found guilty, Omri Sharon faces up to five years in prison over charges of violating campaign finance laws.

Immunity waived

Omri Sharon, who ran his father's election campaign, has told the Jerusalem Post newspaper that the strict limits on funding in place were unreasonable.

He says he is the first person to be tried for breaking the Political Parties law and has already waived his parliamentary immunity to face the charges.

Ariel Sharon had always denied knowledge of the financing of his campaign, saying it was run exclusively by his son.

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz announced his decision to press the charges in July but he had to wait until a bill limiting MP's immunity against prosecution was passed.