A police investigation into shady dealings surrounding
former chief rabbi Yona Metzger turned up troves of hidden cash, according to
media reports.
Police arrested Metzger Monday at the culmination of a long
investigation into a litany of financial crimes involving millions of shekels.
Police say they have recruited two new witnesses against
Metzger, one of which is an associate of his, according to Israel daily Maariv.
The police investigation revealed that Metzger stashed
€150,000 (about $200,000) with his sister in Haifa, and a search of his home
turned up NIS 40,000 ($11,300) in cash hidden in various books, according to Channel
10. Metzger contends that the money in Haifa came from an inheritance, but
according to the investigation, his claim is not true.
For his part, Metzger contends that the police have no new
evidence against him.
“At 7 in the morning they came to my house, conducted a
search and took me to the police station, without prior notification, of
course,” Metzger said according to Maariv. “I’ve been in their custody for
seven hours and not one question has been asked on one topic that I wasn’t
asked about before.
And one Jew wearing a kippa on his head came in the middle
of the questioning and said: “You’re using your memory loss? We’ll put you in
detention.” As if the detention would refresh my memory?”
Metzger was brought before the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s
Court Monday and charged with offenses that included fraud, bribery, money
laundering, breach of trust, obstruction of justice and tampering with
witnesses.
Police maintained a partial gag order on some details of the case
and although initial news of an arrest broke Monday morning, it was only in the
afternoon that Metzger’s name was released. The court extended his remand for
10 days.
The investigation was carried out over several months by the
corruption and organized crime department, known as Unit 433, and involved the
tax authorities and the Jerusalem district attorney.
In addition to profiting from donations to charitable
causes, he is also suspected of taking bribes to sway his opinion on matters he
attended to as chief rabbi.
Police reportedly continued to monitor Metzger following his
initial house arrest earlier this year, during which time he allegedly tried to
obstruct the investigation against him and tamper with witnesses.
The investigation became public in June 2013 when Metzger,
who was at the time still the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, was placed under
house arrest. While proclaiming his innocence, Metzger, whose 10-year term as
chief rabbi was months away from its conclusion, chose to resign his position.
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