Israeli President Ezer Weizman is facing an investigation over gifts of more than $450,000 from a French businessman.

"The state attorney has requested from the president's office all information regarding the matter," the Justice Ministry said on Monday.

The president is not facing judicial proceedings. But ministry spokesman Ido Baum told AFP news agency that if he did not provide satisfactory answers, "it would be a delicate task to investigate the head of state".

Mr Weizman, who became president in 1993, has admitted receiving substantial sums of money from businessman Eduoard Sarousi.

But he said the donations were legal because they were gifts from a personal friend and not connected with his official role.

Probe welcomed

"Mr Weizman has done nothing illegal," his spokeswoman, Batya Keinan, said.

"According to Israeli law, an official may receive tax-free private gifts from friends," she said.

The president said he welcomed the probe.

"I am very happy that the attorney general's office has decided to launch an examination and I will wait for the results before responding," he told reporters at a reception for Romanian President Emil Constantinescu.

"They will receive everything I can give them," he said.

The president's aides said the bulk of the money was spent on medical treatment for his since-deceased son Shaul, who was seriously injured in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The payments were revealed by Israeli journalist Yoav Yitzhak last week.

He said Mr Sarousi had transferred the money into Mr Weizman's and his wife's private accounts on an almost monthly basis between 1988 and 1993, when Mr Weizman was a member of parliament and minister.