Rishon Lezion case: "The Rabbi did not know that his testimony might implicate"

The trial of the former Chief Rabbi, the Rishon Lezion Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi Doron, in the 'rabbis case' affair, opened this morning (Sunday) in the District Court of Jerusalem.


At the beginning of the discussion the lawyer representing Rabbi Bakshi Doron, Yaakov Weinroth revealed, a weighty legal claim, and that the state did not provide the Rabbi with the fact that his testimony might incriminate him, as required by law, this is after having closed the investigation against him.


"In the investigation against the rabbi they told him that the investigation ended with the decision not to indict him. Now the state claims that this decision was not easy, and this was done in spite of all kinds of these and other considerations they had," said Weinroth.

Judge Zvi Segal investigated the claim against the plaintiff, and expressed agreement with the Attorney Weinroth, "on the practical level – I have not encountered a situation today, almost 30 years, in which the witness for prosecution says something that might incriminate him and the attorney is silent. If the claimant did not do it, for whatever reason, the court will refer to the plaintiff. If the court does not appeal, the plaintiff must go to court."


In addition, the district judge referred to the fact that the prosecutor, Attorney Erez Padan, will be summoned as a witness for the defense of Rabbi Bakshi Doron - given the fact that he questioned the rabbi; he served as a prosecutor in court and took part in the decision to reopen the case against him and put him on trial. Attorney Padan said that he saw no problem and he can continue to represent the country, since he will not be summoned for testimony.

Judge Segal rejected attorney Padan and said that this possibility exists. At the end of the discussion it was decided that the prosecution will respond within four days if they are prepared to hear evidence to the allegations raised by Mr. Weinroth at the hearing this morning.


The indictment filed against the Rabbi deals with the affair known as the 'rabbi's case', in which false certificates were given to more than 1,000 soldiers and police. These documents gave their recipients salary in which there was no basis for their payment and made expenditures of hundreds of millions of shekels from the state.

The charges which are attributed to the Rishon LeZion include counts of fraud and attempted fraud under aggravating circumstances, giving a false certificate, fraud and breach of trust.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!