Former Ashkenazi chief rabbi Yona Metzger was arrested by authorities early Monday morning on charges of taking a bribe, fraud, breach of trust, and conspiracy to interfere with an investigation.
Anti-corruption detectives from the LAHAV 433 unit who have been investigating the rabbi for months said that the sums of money which exchanged hands in this case is “in the millions of shekels.”
Police from the National Fraud Squad raided Metzger's home and offices this past summer and questioned him under caution for hours.
Metzger and three other men are suspected of being involved in the pilfering of millions of shekels from a number of charities.
Following an undercover investigation, officers went public this past summer, 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.
Simcha Karkovsky, who served as 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, were also arrested in the sting. Both men stand accused of money laundering and bribery.
Metzger’s lawyers, David Livai and Elad Rut, said that their client was questioned for a few hours and that he answered all questions and cooperated fully. They added that their client denies all the accusations against him.
In an interview with Channel 10 earlier this year, Metzger mocked the investigation that accuses of him of accepting bribes by receiving discounts for stays at fancy hotels certified by the Chief Rabbinate.
He said Shas mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef told him that when he was chief rabbi, he regularly stayed with his extended family at hotels for free.
“What they call bribery nowadays is ridiculous,” Metzger told interviewer Avishay Ben-Haim.