Renowned Israeli rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto jailed for bribery

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32703943

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One of Israel's best-known rabbis has been sentenced to a year in jail for attempting to bribe the head of the national fraud squad.

Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto was also fined some $260,000 (£165,000).

Rabbi Pinto had offered cash in return for classified information on a police probe into one of his charities.

The rabbi, believed to be one of Israel's wealthiest, has a large following among celebrities and business people in the US.

He is a great-grandson of a famous Moroccan mystical rabbi, Israel Abuchatzera, also known as the Baba Sali.

Rabbi Pinto had entered a plea bargain at the Tel Aviv court, agreeing to testify that he had bribed another senior police chief, the former head of Israel's national crimes squad.