Rav Ovadia Yosef to Benizri: “Baruch Matir Asurim”

Previous minister HaRav Shlomo Benizri, was released from prison this morning (Thursday) just a few minutes before 10:00, 2 months before his sentence was over, due to lack of room in the prisons.

Benizris’ excited family, fans, and lots of media waited to greet him in the pouring rain outside the prison gates.

“It’s a real Purim nes for us” he said. After an emotional thank you to his family and supporters, Benizri began to attack the legal system and the president. “No thank you to the legal system, from the beginners who dealt with my case to the most experienced, who treated me with such unfairness! The system created a case for me, I am completely innocent! All of their proof was based on unreliable sources.”

“How could judge Edmond Levi triple my sentence on a ‘price tag’? Am I a price ticket in the supermarket? How can they torture me, my elderly parents and my wife? Where is their mercy?” he asked. “We are suffering in Israel from media cannibalism!” he stated.
“I saw what they did for the previous president and what they did for me. Today one of the biggest and worst injustices in Israel is over. My voice was not heard, only trampled on, to bad I’m not Barguti who received special treatment from lefty members of the Knesset and ministers after murdering jews!”



“I am not a business man that was arrested in Georgia that the Israeli president is running to release. Why didn’t you listen to what I was telling you?” He ‘stung’ Peres, who recently made a big effort to release two business men who were arrested in Georgia.

In honor of his release, this morning, the Shas movement gave over the following message: “The Shas movement is extremely happy with the release of HaRav Shlomo Benizri, who dedicated his life to the community and has given so much to the society in Israel; we are davening that he may continue in these great doings for everyone.”
Benizri, who was supposed to be released in two months, after a third of his sentenced was deducted due to good behavior, went straight to HaRav Ovadia Yosef in Yerushalyim . Rav Ovodia made “Baruch matir asurim” and gave Benizri a bracha.
From there Benizri went to his house where they had a party with his family and relatives. This evening a party will be held in yeshiva “Ohr HaChaim” to greet him.
HaRav Shlomo Benizri was convicted in 2008 for bribery, breach of trust, conspiracy and obstructing the course of justice. The regional court in Yerushalayim fined him for eighty thousand shekel and sentenced him a year and a half in prison.

In a precedent setting the Supreme Court expanded his sentence after receiving the states appeal, and extended his sentence to four years in prison and a fine of two hundred fifty thousand shekels.
A welcoming assembly for Rav Benizri is being arranged by the Shas movement, who is looking forward to see him active once again in the movement. But Benizri made it clear that he has no intention to do so.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!