Israeli minister quits to fight criminal charges Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, resigned from office on Friday to fight criminal charges of fraud and breach of trust - but made clear that he was planning to contest next month's general election and eyeing a swift return to government. Mr Lieberman said the decision to resign was made after consultations with his lawyers, but insisted that he had committed no crime and was not legally obliged to step down. The move came a day after Israeli prosecutors filed formal charges against the prominent nationalist leader, and ended months of speculation over his political future. Mr Lieberman said he had no intention of leaving politics and had already asked the Israeli parliament to lift his immunity, in the hope of accelerating the judicial process and ensuring a swift conclusion of the case. "I believe that the Israeli public deserves to go to the ballots after this matter has been settled, meaning with a ruling given before the elections, so I can continue serving the state of Israel and its public as part of a strong, united leadership," he said. The Moldovan-born founder of the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party has been under police investigation for more than a decade, mainly over allegations that he received and laundered large amounts of money through shell companies controlled by his family. Mr Lieberman stands accused of promoting a diplomat who leaked confidential information about the money laundering probe to him personally. It was not immediately clear who would take over the foreign ministry until the elections on January 22. According to Israeli media reports, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, was mulling on Friday whether he himself should take over the portfolio for the interim period. Yisrael Beiteinu and Mr Netanyahu's own Likud party have already formed a joint list to contest the forthcoming election, meaning the political fate of the two leaders is closely intertwined. The alliance was struck originally in order to make sure that Mr Netanyahu would preside over the biggest faction in parliament - as polls suggest he will do. Mr Lieberman currently occupies the second slot on the joint list. Analysts believe that Mr Lieberman's legal travails will have little impact on his own core supporters, who have kept faith in the controversial right-winger despite years of criminal probes. The minister himself has repeatedly dismissed the investigations against him as politically motivated, and will draw further comfort because the most serious charges against him were dropped on Thursday. But support for the joint Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu would most likely drop sharply should Mr Lieberman find himself unable to contest the election. There is also a risk that more centrist Likud voters will turn their back on an alliance that includes a politician facing criminal charges. Latest polls show, in any case, that popular backing for the right-wing list is on the wane. A poll published in the Jerusalem Post on Friday predicted that Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu would win 35 out of 120 seats in the Knesset, seven less than the two groups have now. The poll, taken before the charges against Mr Lieberman were announced, suggested that the centre-left Labour party would emerge as the second-largest bloc in parliament, with 17 seats.