After admitting to giving bribes and trying to interfere with ongoing police investigations, a criminal indictment was handed down in the Tel Aviv District Court against Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto. The rav also signed a deal with the prosecution agreeing to become a state witness against former senior police commander Menashe Arbiv. In exchange for his admission of guilt and cooperation, the rabbi will pay a monetary fine and serve only one year in prison. The rabbi’s defense attorneys are working to persuade the court to wave actual jail time. The prosecutor also agreed there would not be additional charges against the rabbi and no indictment against his rebitzen.

Persons close to the rabbi explain he was forced into the deal to protect his rebitzen and prevent her serving jail time.

Pinto admitted to attempting to bribe senior police commander Ephraim Bracha, seeing information from a police and FBI investigation against him. Bracha informed his superiors and the bribe was accepted and documented. The investigation against Rabbi Pinto began at least three years ago as the monetary dealings of his Chazon Yeshayahu organization was under scrutiny.

Arbiv will be facing many serious charges including accepting bribes and money laundering. Arbiv has stated that he has dedicated his life to the nation and this is a real slap in his face.

Arbiv was compelled to resign his post as head of the 433 Unit, Israel’s FBI and Israel Police as a result of the Pinto case. He insists that he is innocent and the prosecutor should have used him as a state witness against Rabbi Pinto.

The indictment and state witness agreement was signed by Deputy Prosecutor Naveh Schiller and not the head of the Tel Aviv Prosecution who has been handling the case. He did not agree with the final version of the agreement and therefore refused to sign.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)