`` In this situation , when my personal issue splits my beloved country instead of uniting it , I feel it is my duty to end my service , and to resign , '' he told parliament Monday . NEW : Pal Schmitt says he is prepared to go to court to prove he is right . Comment: He had insisted he would n't quit , saying his conscience was clear . Germany 's defense minister resigned in a similar scandal last year .
NEW : Pal Schmitt says he is prepared to go to court to prove he is right . Comment: He had insisted he would n't quit , saying his conscience was clear . Germany 's defense minister resigned in a similar scandal last year .