Meir Rabin, one of the chareidim involved in the Holyland real estate affair will not be granted a special hearing by the state to permit him to defend himself outside of the courtroom.

Rabin, who was arrested in 2010, was released to house arrest with restrictions in May after the case blew wide open. There are many other suspects in the case, including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Jerusalem Mayor Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky, as well as longtime Olmert aide Shula Zaken. In March 2011, the prosecution indicated indictments are expected against a number of the suspects in the case.

Rabin, a real estate broker, is charged with negotiating deals surrounding Holyland. He was seeking a hearing prior to deciding if an indictment will be filed against him, but such a hearing will not take place. The hearing was to have taken place on May 30, 2011 but Rabin canceled it. The prosecution then informed him that since he did not show when the opportunity presented himself, as far as the state is concerned, he waved his right to such a hearing.

Rabin has turned to the High Court of Justice against the Tel Aviv Prosecutor’s decision, insisting he did not forfeit his right due to the cancelation of the scheduled event in May. The state contends it handed 4,000 documents over to Rabin’s legal team, the heart of the investigation, adding that hearings for suspects were held for 19 of 24 suspects, citing the need to adhere to the schedule, especially in such a case involving so many suspects. Hearings for former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his longtime assistance Shula Zaken are scheduled for the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012. The delay is attributed to their ongoing trials surrounding the Talansky and Rishon Tours cases.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)