MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) and the right-wing Legal Forum for the Land of Israel petitioned the High Court Wednesday for President Shimon Peres to return $320,000 he received in contributions for his 2005 campaign in the Labor Party leadership primaries.

"The president of Israel must not hold dirty money. He has to return it to the state treasury," Eldad said.

State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss said in a 2006 report that Peres spent some NIS 336,000 more than allowed on his campaign, noting that his income from donations totaled some NIS 2.2 million while his expenses amounted to approximately NIS 2.1 million.

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Lindenstrauss' report referred to three donations totaling $320,000 that Peres received - $100,000 from millionaire Bruce Rapaport, who resides in Switzerland; $100,000 from billionaire Haim Saban of Los Angeles; and $120,000 from billionaire Daniel Abrams from Palm Beach, Florida.

Lindenstrauss recommended Peres either return the funds or donate them to the state.

Peres subsequently lost the primaries to Amir Peretz, and switched over to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima party. He was sworn in as Israel's ninth president this past Sunday.

The state comptroller passed his findings on to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, without recommending he open a criminal investigation against the president.

Peres' defense attorneys argued in response to the report that the Party Funding Law was not applicable to contributions he received, as they were donated before the election and had been approved by Labor's monitoring body.

Eldad and the Legal Forum said in their petition that even though the state comptroller issued severe criticism over Peres' management of the funds, the president refused to give them back.

The petitioners requested the court order the Knesset ethics committee discuss the issue. A week ago the committee determined it would not meet on the subject, which it said does not concern the public.