Jerusalem District Court Judge Moshe HaKohen has rejected the plea bargain agreement reached in the case of former Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, handing down a stricter sentence.

Justice HaKohen added an additional year of prison to the sentence, from 3.5 to 4.5 years.

As per the earlier agreement, Rabbi Metzger is compelled to pay a NIS 5 million fine. It is unclear if the higher court accepted this portion of the agreement. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel has also received requests to revoke the former Chief Rabbi’s semicha.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)