Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday morning 24 Teves announced it is rejecting the appeal filed by Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, who in April 2015 pleaded guilty in a plea-bargain agreement in his fraud case. Part of the plea bargain compels Rabbi Pinto to serve a year in prison. The rabbi was hopeful the High Court would take his deteriorating health into consideration but with the appeal being rejected, he will have to enter prison and serve a one-year term.

Justices Yitzchak Amit, Tzvi Zilbertal and Mani Mazuz decided to send the rav to prison to serve his term as per the agreement he signed with the prosecutor and accepted by the court. Many felt an air of optimism following the recent High Court ruling in the petition of former Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky, whose prison term was wiped by the court, which took his ailing health into consideration, of course along with other circumstances of that case. In the case of Rabbi Lupoliansky, his prison term was reduced to an 18-month community service sentence.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)