Exculpatory evidence that confirmed some of the claims made by Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto was allegedly withheld by the prosecution, Israel Channel 1 News reported today.
Kikar HaShabbat reports:
…According to News 1, there was a reason for the prosecution to prevent delivery of investigative materials. It had a malicious purpose to prevent the exposure of information that might incriminate persons who violated the law, including senior law enforcement agencies. The hidden documents include, among others:
* Evidence of the funds provided for years to Ephraim Bracha, as Pinto claimed in his defense investigation (with this evidence he sought to prove that many funds were given to Bracha previously, and that this was not bribery – as asserted in the charges – but gifts (in view of his relationship of 17 years).
* Evidence that Bracha’s accounts have not been studied, and so in a way contrary to reports by the prosecution and the Attorney General to the Supreme Court, with deliberate disruption of the investigation, and evidence of serial leaks from Bracha in a series of cases (including leaking the investigation of bribery in Ashdod), indicating that this is not a great saint who was active in convicting the rabbi as soon as was asked to help with the offense.
* Evidence and testimony that indeed Pinto handed in initial reports to the FBI investigators, way before the investigation, pertaining to the gifts given to Bracha, and therefore, there was no criminal intent.
* Evidence of the existence of ongoing bribery and relationships between Bracha and a host of individuals, including a serious leak in a murder case to a major suspect in that same murder case (!!!).
* Evidence of the involvement of corrupt officials, including State Attorney Moshe Lidor, and the head of the Investigations Branch, Yoav Segalovich, the existence and management of a biased investigation, which was never intended to arrive at the truth, but intended – in advance – to criminalize Pinto, alone.
Importantly, Pinto’s lawyers contacted the prosecution repeatedly in writing, and presented the lack of evidence and inconsistencies between the indictment and the investigation materials that were brought to their attention only (as mentioned, not to Pinto). Despite this, the prosecutor’s office refused to discuss the matter. Therefore, Pinto’s petitions and comments submitted on the case by Ometz and Tnuat Eichut Hashilton that ruled against Bracha, contained very limited wording – not including excerpts that were denied; this is in response to the prosecutor’s office which shielded Bracha, and Bracha’s reaction itself – also to the Supreme Court – included dozens of pages, and quotes parts of that investigation with materials taken and presented in a tendentious manner, New1 maintains.
Pinto appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court. The appeal has been set for November 2015.
At the same time, Pinto released Rozowski from his representation duties, and hired Attorney Avigdor Feldman in his place, News1 reports.…
What this will – or won't – turn out to be is anyone's guess. News 1 sometimes sounds like a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinto's machine, and from what I remember of previous coverage, many of the claims made have proved false. But that does not mean these latest allegations are.
What is clear is that Pinto did attempt to bribe cops to get information on the Hazon Yeshaya charity fraud Pinto likely heavily benefited from (and probably helped plan), a fraud that took food out of the mouths of poor elderly Holocaust survivors and which is at the root of all of Pinto's current legal troubles.