Shas chairman Aryeh Deri on Sunday morning submitted his resignation from the Knesset to Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy.

His resignation goes into effect in another 48 hours.

Deri’s resignation comes a month after he signed a plea deal with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit for minor tax offenses. As part of the deal, Deri was required to resign from the Knesset but will be allowed to run in the next elections.

Deri will continue to serve as leader of the Shas party, running the party from outside the Knesset.

A case was opened against Deri six and a half years ago for serious offenses of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust but absolutely no evidence was found to support the allegations. Instead, he was charged with twice failing to report income to tax authorities.

Yossi Taieb, considered the Shas party’s French representative, will enter the Knesset in place of Deri.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)