Petah Tikva, Israel – The Holyland corruption affair is expanding in new directions: Real estate developer Meir Rabin, suspected of acting as an intermediary in the Holyland real estate scandal, was said by his lawyer on Monday to be suspected of bribing top lawmakers, as well as Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, in a bid to approve the construction of the project.
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According to attorney Giora Zilberstein, Rabin is suspected of bribing Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and MKs Ruhama Avraham (Kadima) and Danny Naveh (Likud), who served as ministers at the time.
Zilberstein made the announcement during a court session concerning the extension of Rabin’s remand at a Petah Tikva court.
Lieberman, Avraham and Naveh immediately denied the allegations.
“This is nonsense that should not be dignified with a response,” said a source from Lieberman’s office. Avraham threatened to take legal action against those who had made such “slanderous” claims, adding she could not allow such “idle chatter” to pass.
Naveh, meanwhile, said it was “a shame that names, such as my own, are frivolously being thrown into the air when it is clear that only a wild imagination could bring them up in the context of this affair.”
Upon his arrest several days ago, police said Rabin had promoted Holyland projects and passed on tens of millions in bribery money to decision makers in the Jerusalem Municipality. Rabin was put under heavy pressure to name those who had received the alleged bribe money.
The police representative to court said Rabin’s involvement in the alleged offenses was “monstrous,” adding that he refused to cooperate with detectives during questioning. “As the fog lifts, things are becoming clearer,” the representative said.
Rabin was arrested on April 6 and has been held in detention ever since. He was remanded until Wednesday.
In related news, Shula Zaken, previously a top aide to former prime minister Ehud Olmert, was set to return to Israel on Monday afternoon following a lengthy stay in New York.
Zaken is expected to be questioned after her arrival as to her alleged involvement in the Holyland case.
Chas V’Shalom!
Don’t believe it. R’ Ovadia is clean.
Why in heaven’s name would he have to bribe a Rabbi? what does the Chacham have to do with construction projects?????/
Why is it a bribe? The rabbi is not an elected official and does not work for the city
This is not suprising given that Ovadia Yosef sanctioned the first Oslo Accords in exchange for a big pay-off from the Rabin Govt.
Ever heard of influence peddling?
I’m nnot saying he had anything to do with anything but y are u all so surprised? Isn’t it at all posssible that a high ranking official or personality can influence powerful people?
If you think arresting dery was something wait till they arrest r’ovadia boy o boy there’s going to be blood everywhere
just be careful! whatever happened or will happen. rav yosef is a talmid chacham and anyone who speaks against him or hears such speech without protesting is subject to severe retribution in this and the next world. all that is a clear gemara. you don’t believe me? is it worth the chance?
It seems that sefaradim in trouble with the law, have no problem giving up others to get themselves off lightly Dweck included. may it be rabbi Kassin to Rabbi Ovadia Yossef… How many ashkenazic Yidden opted for a life behind bars rather than give up another fellow yid. wonder why?
ok so it goes like this you get arrested, and you are not released until you give them some names, so what do you do you start with the biggest name splashers, and pop you are out of there..
While I totally dont believe Rabbi Ovadia had any connection to this, let alone taking money, The torah states “and bribes you shall not take for bribes blind the eyes of the wise, and twists the word of the pious”. “Ki hashochad ye’aver eini chachamim visalef divrei tzadikim”. If Rabbi Ovadia is not included in tzadikim, I dont know who is!
I think this man is trying to get the investigators running and busy so he’s just listing all the names he ever heard.
Bribed R’ Ovadia Yosef to do what exactly?
TO No. 7 and 9:
Firstly, you should ask mechila directly from R’ Ovadia for your vicious slander. This is very serious.
And secondly, if you want to make this a Sephardi/Ashkenazi issue, I can assure you that there isn’t enough space on this website to name all of the Ashkenazis currently embroiled in scams and scandals.
What is the whole big deal about R’ OY ? Even if he took money it was most probably for a bravha of sorts that he shall have hatzlacha with the deal or that he or his subordinate to approve the deal which if true if R’ OY didn’t transfer money to that guy what should be the problem ?
It looks that they are just trying to make a whole brahahahahahahaha out of nothing for people who have nothing to do with this.
Note: I am an ashkenazi and a stamarer chasid
Not true!!!
a much bigger sin was commited in 1993 when P.M Yitzchak Rabin bribed the Shas party and it’s head harav Avadia Yosef with hundreds of millions of shekalim for their schools and yeshivah’s,in exchange for their votes for the cursed Oslo agreement,which has caused rivers of jewish blood to be spilled with the murder of over 3000 men women and children,this bribery resulted in jews losing not only their lives,but also part of their homeland.
Meir Rabin, whom police believe was the go-between in the Holyland bribery affair, has been consulting leading rabbis about how he should proceed in the investigation, and the questions he has reportedly asked indicate that he is considering breaking his silence, Haaretz has learned.
Sources in the police and prosecution have said over the past few days that Rabin would be able to provide a great deal of information implicating other suspects in the affair. 
However, as far as is known, the rabbis have not given Rabin any clear advice.
Rabin has been in custody for several days, and has so far not implicated anyone else. But over the last few days, Haaretz has learned, his siblings have sought advice from several rabbis in Israel and abroad.
Last week, two of his brothers went to Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the son-in-law of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, who is considered the spiritual leader of the “Lithuanian” faction of the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox community. Kanievsky received the two brothers several times, at their request.
Rabin, who lives in Bnei Brak, has been a familiar figure in the Kanievsky household for many years, and he views himself as Kanievsky’s student. The two brothers asked Kanievsky whether their brother should cooperate with investigators or continue to exercise his right to remain silent, to protect himself and others.
But Kanievsky reportedly made do with saying a blessing for Rabin. He told the brothers he “is not familiar with the subject,” and Rabin would do better to consult his lawyers.
One of Rabin’s sisters also recently approached a well-known ultra-Orthodox rabbi who lives abroad with a similar question. That rabbi also gave a blessing, but no definitive answer.
Meanwhile, Shas declined to respond officially yesterday to a statement by Rabin’s attorney, Giora Zilbershtein, that his client was questioned a few days ago on suspicion of conveying millions of shekels to Shas’ spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.
Zilbershtein also said Rabin was asked about money he allegedly transferred to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and two former ministers, Dan Naveh and MK Ruhama Avraham Balila (Kadima).
But a Shas source insisted that “Rabin never visited Rabbi Ovadia, and we don’t know him.” A source in Ovadia’s home added that “if Rabin was indeed asked about the matter, it was because the police are trying to pressure someone into talking.”
Lieberman, Avraham and Naveh vehemently denied Zilbershtein’s statement. The police said “the officials named by Rabin’s attorney were named on his own responsibility.”
Lieberman sarcastically told a meeting if his Yisrael Beiteinu party’s Knesset faction yesterday that “Over the past few days, I’ve been so disappointed. There are so many cases – Holyland, the Israel Lands Administration, the kidnapping of those two women – and my name wasn’t mentioned in even one of them. So I was glad to hear today that they managed to get my name into at least one case.”
Just because you’re an am Haaretz, don’t blame me, you don’t know an open gemoro in moed katan I’m harav domeh lemalachhashem tzvokos torah yevakshu mipihu. If you read a gemmoroh in some leaflet somebody left at ahiezer or the big deal don’t blame me.
I doubt you even know what a tzurba is.