President Reuven Rivlin has decided not to honor a request from former Ashkenazim Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, who is seeking a reduction in his jail term and the fines he is ordered to pay. Rabbi Metzger is serving a prison term following a conviction on charges of accepting bribes, tax evasion, money laundering and other white color crimes.
In his decision on Tuesday, January 29, the President gave his opinion regarding the crimes committed by Metzger and their circumstances and all his claims, the personal and public aspects, and all the material brought before him.
The President emphasized in his reply that the pardoning institution is not an additional link in the legal system and is intended for isolated and exceptional cases in which exceptional and unique circumstances exist.
Metzger is expected to face the parole board soon and will be able to raise his arguments and bring his request for relief in the manner of payment of the fine before the Center for the Collection of Fines.
In May 2017, the High Court of Justice granted Metzger leniency. The High Court reduced the sentenced to 3.5 years and a NIS 5 million fine from the original jail term of 4.5 years.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
Rabonim and politicians (ie anyone who abuses trust as representatives of the public) should receive GREATER punishments NOT lesser!!!! Thus should include the Prime Minister also , if he is found guilty of the offenses against him!!!
No one ,even people in power should be ABOVE the law! After all , they are supposed to “LEAD” and be an example to the public!!!
what is missing is his previous history, resigning as CR of Tel Aviv in a deal with the prosecutors that included his promise never to seek the rabbinate of a major city. what he was accused of was not pretty. no one thought such an individual would seek the CR title that was omitted in his plea deal. politics makes strange bed-fellows
What happened to the Mitzvah of Pidyan Shvuim.
I guess the people commenting on The HOLY Yeshiva World are all reform Jews
Y2r-piston shvuyim requires EQUAL efforts to All hidden Not extra favors to rabonim or politicians! You sure sound like one of the reformers.
y2r, he is not in goyishe hands. I doubt there is any mitzvah in getting someone out of an Israeli prison, especially the “kollel” he is in.
Metzger should not be called rabbi, rather by his professional title: ‘crook’.
Apparently in England there’s a saying amongst villains:
If you can’t do the time
Don’t commit the crime
Seems apposite.
Fact is the greater one is the bigger the yetzer horah
so lets wait till we are all chief rabbis before we try and understand him