Herzog, Deri face corruption investigations

This is not the first brush with the law for either of those named. In the 1990s, Mr Deri was the subject of a series of corruption investigations and, in 1999, was convicted of bribe-taking and sentenced to three years in prison. He remained out of politics for over a decade before returneing to lead Shas in 2013. He returned to cabinet last year. Mr Deri said following the publication of his name that he planned to continue working as a minister and would "be at the disposal of the investigators".

Mr Herzog was one of the main subjects of an investigation over allegations of illegal donations to Ehud Barak's election campaign in 1999, on which he was a key adviser. He kept silent during police questioning and, ultimately, no charges were pressed. On Wednesday, he said: "The claims are political smears disseminated by Likud and frustrated activists," adding that he welcomed the opportunity to "clear the ludicrous allegations".

While the two party leaders are ostensibly his political rivals, the investigations could be problematic for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Deri's Shas is an essential component of his coalition and any dissatisfaction in its ranks could cause problems for the government. Mr Netanyahu has also been hoping that Zionist Union would join the coalition at some stage, a prospect which now seems remote.