Human Rights Alert (NGO)

Joseph Zernik, PhD

PO Box 33407, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Fax: 077-3179186

"
6133301 ",33407 "
Email: joseph.zernik@hra-ngo.org

2015-04-29 Rabbi Pinto-Arviv-Bracha Israel Police corruption scandal

compiled media reports //
--
Request was filed today for inspection the court file record in the criminal
prosecution of Rabbi Josiah Pinto. Pinto is on trial for bribing Maj. Gen. Menashe
Arviv, the head of Lahav 433, the main investigative unit of the Israel Police,
popularly known as the Israeli FBI. In his investigation, Pinto claimed that he also
holds incriminating evidence against Brigadier General Ephraim Bracha, Head of the
Israel Police National Fraud Investigations Unit. However, law enforcement refuse
to investigate Bracha in this matter. Moreover, a plea bargain agreement was
signed with Rabbi Pinto by the State Prosecution, which was largely seen as
unusual in its leniency for Pinto, given the severity of the crimes.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel petitioned the Supreme Court
against the plea bargain agreement, but failed.
Media continually raise concerns that law enforcement and justice agencies are
trying to cover up this corruption scandal, which is probably the worst, in the Israel
Police, which has been repeatedly plagued by corruption scandals related to its top
officers in recent years.
The focus of interest now is in conduct of the Tel-Aviv District Court, where Pinto is
prosecuted. The records of the prosecution in the court's public access system are
inexplicably corrupt, as is the case in numerous other cases, particularly cases
pertaining to government corruption. Conditions which have been established in the
Israeli courts, where the public cannot ascertain what a person was indicted for,
what a person was convicted of, what his sentence is, and whether a person is held
in prison pursuant to lawfully executed judicial records are typical of tribunals of
military dictatorships, but are inconsistent with courts of a civil society.

Pictures: Rabbi Josiah Pinto is on trial for an attempt to bribe senior Israel Police officer in a scandal
that rocked the Israel Police, beleaguered by corruption of top officers. Judge Oded Mudrick of the
Tel-Aviv Court is presiding in the case, where the Israel Movement for Quality Government appealed
to the Supreme Court against the plea bargain approved for Rabbi Pinto.

1/1

Haaretz reports in English:

1.

Rabbi Pinto endures rocky start to sentencing hearing for bribery

Haaretz-Apr 29, 2015
The sentencing phase of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto's trial has begun arduously for the defense,
after Pinto pleaded guilty earlier this month to ...

2.

Rabbi Pinto pleads guilty to bribery charges as part of plea

bargain
Haaretz-Apr 13, 2015
Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto admitted to bribing a high-ranking Israel Police official, Brig. Gen.
Ephraim Bracha, in Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday.

3.

Rabbi Pinto hospitalized upon arrival at Israel, ahead of hearing

Haaretz-Apr 13, 2015
Tel Aviv District Court Judge Oded Mudrik over the weekend rejected the fourth request by
Pinto to delay the reading of his indictment on ...

4.

State postpones plea bargain with Rabbi Pinto over bribery

allegations
Haaretz-Oct 20, 2014
The state postponed its plea bargain with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto on Monday, after the High
Court of Justice blasted the deal that would have ...

5.

State may cancel plea deal with absent Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto
Haaretz-Mar 19, 2015
The State Prosecutor's Office is considering canceling the plea bargain it had signed with Rabbi
Yoshiyahu Pinto, because Pinto failed to ...

6.

Annul Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto's plea bargain

Haaretz-Oct 9, 2014
Annul Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto's plea bargain. The attorney general and state prosecutor must
restore the Israeli public's faith in the legal system ...

7.

Three of Rabbi Pinto's four defense attorneys ask to resign

Haaretz-Oct 7, 2014
Attorneys say Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, charged with bribing top Israeli police official, breached
agreement when members of his family gave ...

8.

The victory lap of Israel's shoddy state prosecutor

Haaretz-Apr 4, 2015
He was involved in the scandalous handling of the Pinto affair in which the state postponed a
plea bargain with a rabbi charged with trying to ...

9.

US congressman tied to Rabbi Pinto indicted on fraud charges

Haaretz-Apr 28, 2014
N.Y. Rep. Michael Grimm pleads not guilty to 20-count federal indictment; Grimm also
embroiled in Israeli corruption probe, centering on ties to ...

10.

Israeli prosecutors poised to indict associate of controversial

rabbi ...
Haaretz-Feb 11, 2014
The prosecution has tentatively decided to indict a close associate of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto on
corruption charges for the associate's ...
Attorney general to charge prominent rabbi
The Times of Israel-Feb 12, 2014

Haaretz.Com

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Rabbi Pinto endures rocky start to sentencing hearing for bribery

After the plea deal, prosecutors are seeking a year in prison for bribery of a top police oicial.
By Revital Hovel | Apr. 29, 2015 | 1:56 PM
Tweet

The sentencing phase of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pintos trial has begun arduously for the defense, after Pinto pleaded guilty earlier
this month to bribing a senior police oicial.
On Tuesday, Judge Oded Mudrik rejected a request from Pintos lawyers to introduce testimony that the oicial, Brig. Gen.
Ephraim Bracha, gave to the police. The attorneys at the Tel Aviv District Court said this evidence would provide a more
complex picture of the relationship between the two men.
But the prosecutors said the testimony would only provide a partial picture and in any case would violate the plea deal.
The sentencing phase will continue into next week; the prosecution seeks up to a year in prison for Pinto, not just probation
or community service.
On Tuesday the tension was high the prosecutors objected to every attempt by the defense to present documents, legal
opinions or nancial statements of nonprot groups linked to Pinto.
At one point, Mudrik even needled the lawyers. Id think you wouldnt take such a risk and present me false documents,
which can be checked, he said.
One legal opinion was signed by a former American; it discusses the implications of a Pinto prison term for members of his
family. The severity of the sentence will revolve around three main issues: Pintos health and that of his family, his charity
work and contributions, and his help in an investigation against Bracha.
Two weeks ago Pinto pleaded guilty, one day after returning to Israel. The rabbi is based in New York but also does work out
of Ashdod.
He was convicted of bribery, oering bribes and obstructing justice. He also agreed to provide evidence that he bribed an
even more senior police oicial, Maj. Gen Menashe Arviv, the former head of Lahav 433, the police unit also known as Israels
FBI.
On Tuesday, dozens of Pintos followers lled the courtroom, and a long list of character witnesses testied, including
members of charity groups. A number of people noted how Pinto had helped them over the years, and journalist Shalom
Yerushalmi discussed what he called Pintos liberal views.
But despite what the court had been told at the previous session, author Elie Wiesel, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, did
not testify. Pintos lawyers had said Wiesel might testify by video.
When Pinto arrived at Ben-Gurion International Airport two weeks ago, he complained of chest pains and underwent a heart
catheterization at Tel Avivs Ichilov Hospital.
After Pintos conviction, the court ordered him to remain in the country. The defense requested permission for Pinto to leave
Israel after the sentencing hearing for surgery abroad, but no ruling has been made.
Pinto was indicted in September for allegedly giving 400,000 shekels ($103,000) in bribes to Bracha, who now heads the
polices fraud unit. Pinto was also charged with attempted bribery involving a similar sum, and with obstruction of justice.
The indictment followed an earlier plea bargain in which the rabbi agreed to serve as a states witness against Arviv, the
retired head of Lahav 433.
According to the indictments, Pinto and his wife Dvora feared they would be questioned about the practices of Hazon
Yeshaya, a nonprot group run by a Pinto associate, Abraham Israel. In turn, Israel is said to have asked for Pintos support
in the investigation; shortly thereafter, $1.2 million was allegedly transferred to Dvora Pintos bank account.
Pinto is said to have subsequently oered bribes to Bracha, whom he has known since 2007. Bracha had regularly attended
events organized by Pinto, who is said to have tried to get Bracha to provide information about the investigation against
Israel and himself.

1 of 1

04/29/2015 10:10 PM

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Senior cop at center of Rabbi Pinto graft

scandal could face criminal probe
Internal affairs recommends opening investigation against Maj.
Gen. Menashe Arviv over bribe allegations; Pinto to testify in
coming days.
By Yaniv Kubovich | Jan. 19, 2014 | 9:00 AM |

The Justice Ministrys police investigations unit has concluded that a criminal investigation should be
opened into Maj. Gen. Menashe Arviv, head of the forces main investigative command. The officer is
suspected of receiving bribes from Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto and associates while Arviv served as police
attache to the Israeli embassy in Washington.

AG: Investigation of high-ranking police officer

to continue
Maj. Gen Menashe Arviv suspected of taking bribes from
popular rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto.
By Yaniv Kubovich | Jan. 20, 2014 | 4:00 AM
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein on Sunday gave the Justice Ministrys department for investigating
police officers the green light to continue with their probe of bribery allegations against Maj. Gen.
Menashe Arviv, the head of the main investigative unit of the Israel Police. Investigators suspect Arviv
accepted bribes from Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto and his associates during Arvivs stint as police attache in
the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
Justice Ministry officials have agreed that a full criminal investigation is in order. The next step would
be to question Arviv under caution and get him to respond directly to the accusations against him.
Arviv commands Lahav 433, popularly known as Israels FBI, a unit incorporating the fraud, financial
and serious and international crimes units. He has taken a leave of absence while the affair is being
investigated.

Police in crisis as another top cop is investigated

Policemen have been reduced to waiting for something to
happen that will get the organization out of the hole its in,
senior officer tells Haaretz.
By Yaniv Kubovich 01:00 27.01.15 1
The disarray at the top of the police force, from which several senior officers have resigned in recent
months over criminal investigations or other scandals, is the rotten fruit of a longstanding practice of
appointing cronies to senior positions, a high-ranking officer charged on Monday.

Rabbi Pinto pleads guilty to bribery charges as

part of plea bargain
Pinto was charged with attempted bribery of a senior police
officer, Brig. Gen. Ephraim Bracha.

Rabbi Pinto pleads guilty to bribery charges as

part of plea bargain
Pinto was charged with attempted bribery of a senior police
officer, Brig. Gen. Ephraim Bracha.
By Revital Hovel 13:18 14.04.15
Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto admitted to bribing a high-ranking Israel Police official, Brig. Gen. Ephraim
Bracha, in Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday. The admission came as part of a plea bargain one day
after the return to Israel of the rabbi, who conducts a wide range of international activities from both
Ashdod and New York, the latter being his main base of activity.

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