Tel Aviv – The High Court of Justice on Wednesday struck down a petition by anti-corruption watchdogs who demanded the nullification of a plea bargain struck between the state and a prominent rabbi accused of bribing a top police official.
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Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto was indicted in September as part of a deal with the state in which he agreed to testify against the former commander of the Lahav 433 investigative division, Menashe Arbiv.
Associates of Pinto allegedly gave Arbiv a series of bribes including a discounted apartment in Tel Aviv for his son, assistance in attaining US visas for his immediate family and free nights in a Manhattan hotel.
Arbiv, who was essentially the former head of the “Israeli FBI,” resigned from his post on February 9 over the scandal, though he continues to claim his innocence and charges that Pinto is corrupt and manipulating the state.
In exchange for Pinto’s testimony, the state would only seek a 12-month prison term, prompting the Movement for Quality Government to petition the High Court against the agreement.
The anti-corruption watchdog believes Pinto’s punishment is too lenient in light of the severity of the crimes.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
a good question is how reliable is a witness who is afraid of getting a heavy sentence, so he signs on to ‘co-operate’ with police to get a big fish.
Since this person is getting a very reduced sentence, should his testimony be accepted? Where is Rabbi Hoffman’s opinion on this?