The High Court of Justice on Wednesday struck down a petition by anti-corruption watchdogs who demanded the nullification of a plea bargain struck between the state and a prominent rabbi accused of bribing a top police official. Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto was indicted in September as part of a deal with the state in which he agreed to testify against the former commander of the Lahav 433 investigative division, Menashe Arbiv. Associates of Pinto allegedly gave Arbiv a series of bribes including a discounted apartment in Tel Aviv for his son, assistance in attaining US visas for his immediate family and free nights in a Manhattan hotel.
