Six people were arrested in Yerushalayim on Sunday morning, by tax authorities for their alleged connection to a money embezzlement scam that netted million of shekels. It appears the suspects are linked to the Eida Chareidit’s Vaad Artzi.
Authorities report the arrests followed an extensive undercover investigation. Five of the suspects are chareidi, residents of Yerushalayim. The suspects in custody include R’ Shmulik Lubitzky, who is very close to the Gavaad, as well as the Gavaad’s personal assistant, R’ Amram Shapira. Also in custody are Yossela Sheinberger, Eli Bar-Ezer and Yaakov Eisenbach.
An undercover investigation focused on the Eida’s Vaad Artzi, with reports indicating undercover agents working in cooperation with banks documented major tax evasion, money laundering and other crimes totaling millions of dollars.
Police and tax officials raided an office of the tzedaka located on Rappaport Street in Beit Yisrael, as well as homes, and agents confiscated computers and documents in the early-morning raid. Officials report the office in question, on Rappaport Street, has been operating since 2000. Allegations include funneling “large sums of monies abroad”.
Additional arrests are expected according to mainstream media reports. Eida officials are indicating that since some of the sikrikim are affiliated with the Vaad Artzi, police raided the office as part of the crackdown against that faction, seeking to play down the severity of mainstream media reports of a money laundering operation.
Senior members of the Eida Chareidis, including Gavaad HaRav HaGaon Yitzchak Tuvia Weiss Shlita met on Sunday morning following the arrests of six people in a raid of an Eida tzedaka office in Beit Yisrael.
It is reported that during the meeting HaRav Weiss stated, “The arrests are intended against me, not Lubitzky. What do they want from him? They want to arrest me so let them come and arrest me and leave him alone”.
No comments:
Post a Comment