When Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein summoned Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto’s attorney on Wednesday 12 Adar I 5774, he was confident they were close to signing a deal to make his client a state witness to move ahead with the case against Menashe Arbiv. However, the news that he received came as a surprise as Weinstein explained to Eli Zohar that he plans to file a serious criminal indictment against his client, Rabbi Pinto, and he was not interested in discussing a state witness deal or the case against former senior police commander Arbiv.

Weinstein explained that the indictment would be filed in the coming days, a multi-count indictment that includes charges of bribing a senior police officer to the tune of 200,000 NIS, witness intimidation, money laundering and other charges. Weinstein explained that since Pinto waved his right to a hearing before being charged, there is no reason to delay the indictment any longer. The bribery charge refers to the alleged bribe offered to Israel Police Brigadier-General Ephraim Bracha in exchange for information pertaining to the investigation against Rabbi Pinto.

For the former police commander of the elite 433 Unit, Menashe Arbiv, the news of the indictment against Pinto was received with jubilation as it signaled the decision was made not to flip the rabbi to be a state witness against him while granting the rabbi immunity in return.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)