Four months of probation was the sentence handed down on Menashe Arbiv, the former head of Israel Police’s elite Yahav 433 unit, the department’s Major Crimes Unit. Arbiv was convicted in a plea bargain with the State Prosecutor’s Office after an indictment was filed against him in which he was convicted of failing to fulfill an official duty, as part of the affair of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto. The talk of a plea bargain was already on the table some ten months ago, as reported by YWN-Israel.

According to the amended indictment, when he began serving as a representative of the Israel Police in the United States, he was required to coordinate between the investigative bodies in the police and the investigative bodies in the United States. Arbiv was indicted in the case in March 2016.

When he first met Rabbi Pinto in 2010, he was deputy commander of the Tel Aviv District, and he met with Rabbi Pinto for consultation in the context of a marital crisis.

At the beginning of the connection between them, Arbiv turned to Rabbi Pinto to help his son who was living in the United States at the time. The indictment states that in 2010 Rabbi Pinto offered Arbiv financial aid of $10,000, but Arbiv rejected the offer.

A few months ago, the plea bargain was brought to the court and on Wednesday, 11 Teves, the sentence was handed down. In the verdict, the President of the Court, Judge Einat Ron, stated that such a senior officer in the police force and its role would have been expected to have norms of behavior that were completely different and full reporting at all times, certainly in this matter. The non-reporting was beyond causing damage in the interrogation, but rather a serious and significant breach of trust given by his commanders.”

However, the judge ruled that the connection between the defendant and Rabbi Pinto was not improper and there was no offense. “The defendant’s request for assistance from Pinto to his son is not wrong, but he had to report on the nature of the friendship with Pinto from the moment he knew of an investigation in his case.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)