Metzger Suspends Himself from Duties over Fraud Probe
By Yonah Jeremy Bob
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger on Sunday voluntarily suspended himself from a number of major duties, including participating on the Rabbinical High Court, the Chief Rabbinical Council and the Appointments Committee for Rabbinical Judges. Metzger's lawyers announced the self-initiated suspensions in a letter to Justice Minister Tzipi Livni. Metzger's announcement also indicated that he continues to maintain his innocence regarding recent allegations against him, one of his aids and two heads of charities regarding money-laundering, bribery and fraud, but that until the investigation is concluded, suspending himself from some of his duties was the right thing to do for the State. As matters currently stand, Metzger is already under house arrest and prohibited from going to his office or interacting with his aids pending completion of the police investigation into the allegations against him. Livni replied quickly to Metzger's letter, stating that Metzger's self-suspension was "fitting and proper in light of the circumstances." She added, "even if there is only a short time until he finishes his term, there is tremendous significance in preserving the institution of rabbinic judges." Deputy Minister for Religious Services Eli Ben-Dahan said that the investigation was a sorrowful story. He insisted however that Metzger “has the right to be considered innocent,” and that his decision to suspend himself from his duties as a rabbinical judge on the supreme rabbinical court and from meetings of the council of the chief rabbinate was “correct, ethical and teaches [us] about the man.” He said that everyone should hope Metzger would be found innocent, “especially during this time when we are in a struggle over the character of the chief rabbinate.” The Movement for Quality Government in Israel said that in light of the fact that one of the delegates appointed by Metzger to the electoral committee for the chief rabbis, Rabbi Ben-Tzion Tzioni, is also under investigation for involvement in the alleged misdemeanors, he should be ejected from the body. “Rabbi Metzger was obligated to recuse himself,” said MQG legal adviser Attorney Tzruriya Meidad-Lozon. “Serving as chief rabbi under a cloud of suspicions would have been a heavy blow to the institution of the rabbinate... Now the integrity of the electoral process for the incoming chief rabbis must be defended to avoid staining it by allowing those suspected of criminal offences onto the electoral committee. The Reform Movement in Israel called Metzger’s decision “too little too late.” “As long as the chief rabbinate represents the nexus of power, politics, money and religion the corruption will continue to harm it,” said Reform Rabbi and the movement’s director Gilad Kariv. Hiddush, a religious-freedom lobbying organization said that the investigation was “another nail in the coffin of established religion in Israel.” Hiddush director and Reform Rabbi Uri Regev reiterated his organization’s stance that it favors a communal model of religious services and that “the chief rabbinate with state granted coercive powers” was no longer acceptable. Meanwhile, the Lod District Court granted the appeals of the other three suspects in the Metzger case on a lower court ruling of the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court that extended their detentions until Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday respectively, instead ordering all of their detentions shortened to end on Tuesday. The court noted the suspects' claims that it was discriminatory to hold them in police custody when Metzger is accused of the most serious crimes and was released to house arrest days ago. However, it dismissed these claims, stating that the suspects had been in direct contact with those providing the bribes, whereas Metzger's contact had been indirect, which justified different treatment. While justifying refusing to immediately release the suspects based on that distinction, the court said that it did believe that the remaining investigative activities that the police need to perform to complete their investigation of the case could be performed faster than the police had claimed. As a result, the court ordered the earlier release date, and added that if the police still believed on Tuesday that they needed more time, they would need to apply for a new order to try to extend the detention of the other suspects. Police from the National Fraud Squad had raided the home and offices of Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yonah Metzger on Thursday, and questioned him under caution for hours, as part of a bribery, fraud, money-laundering and breach-of-trust case. Metzger was released to five days house arrest on Thursday night following some ten hours of questioning. Metzger and the other suspects are suspected of being involved in the pilfering of hundreds of thousands of shekels from a number of charities. Following an undercover investigation, officers went public on Thursday, arresting the three suspects and seizing documents, computers and other materials from Metzger’s home and office they believe may be linked to the allegations. The suspects include Haim Nissan Eisenshtat, who worked for years as Metzger’s driver and personal assistant. Eisenshtat is accused of taking bribes, fraud, breach of trust and money laundering. The other two suspects are Simcha Karkovsky – manager of the Beit Hatavshil charity in Bnei Brak, and Nissan Ben-Zion Zioni – manager of a beit midrash study hall and rabbinical school in Tel Aviv. Both men stand accused of money laundering and bribery. In 2005, a bribery, fraud, and breach of trust case was opened against Metzger, but then-attorney-general Menahem Mazuz decided to close the case in April 2006. At the time, Mazuz said he was disturbed by revelations about how Metzger behaved during the investigation and called for the rabbi to resign.
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.