Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto to be Indicted

Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto and his wife Devora are expected to be indicted soon on charges of bribery and money laundering, as an investigation that began last month appears to be in its final stages.

According to Israeli news sources CH. 2 and Globes , Rabbi Pinto reportedly attempted to bribe Brigadier General Ephraim Bracha, chief of the Police Investigation Division, who was investigating Pinto on suspicion of money laundering. Pinto allegedly offered the senior police official $200,000 in exchange for information regarding the police probe into his affairs.

Rabbi Pinto, a well known kabbalist, and his wife were both placed under house arrest in October and Mrs. Pinto attempted to commit suicide several days later.
As the investigation continued to develop, investigators arranged a meeting last week between Rabbi Pinto and Brigadier General Bracha, which according to witnesses, escalated into a heated and very vocal debate and only seemed to have strengthened the case against Rabbi Pinto.

According to Amir Dan, Rabbi Pinto’s communications advisor, Rabbi Pinto himself called for the meeting with Brigadier General Bracha in order to prove that the allegations being made against him are baseless.