The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment on Monday against former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron for his alleged role in the "rabbis' file" scandal, in which more than 1,000 military and police officials were fraudulently ordained as rabbis in order to qualify for a pay raise. By allegedly receiving ordination certificates that they were not qualified for, the security personnel received hundreds of millions of shekels in salary bonuses, all coming out of public funds. The suspected fraud took place between 1999 and 2003. An indictment was filed against 10 defendants in the "rabbis' file" scandal in 2007 and the case is still ongoing. The indictment filed against Bakshi-Doron on Sunday is related to his activities as Israel's chief Sephardi rabbi, a role in which he served from 1993 to 2003. The investigation that led to the indictment of Bakshi-Doron began when he gave testimony in court that contradicted earlier statements he had given to police investigators. Following the subsequent investigation, the suspicion is that Bakshi-Doron turned a blind eye to the fraud and ordered the issuing of ordination certificates to recipients who did not meet the standard criteria. According to the indictment, Bakshi-Doron's actions were motivated by a desire to preserve his position in the Chief Rabbinic Council and to avoid a confrontation with other rabbinic officials who were in charge of the institutions attended by the security personnel.
During the relevant time period, officers and noncommissioned officers in the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Police and Israel Prison Service could get a wage increase of anywhere between 2,000 to 4,000 shekels per month for having an academic degree, including a rabbinic ordination certificate.
Bakshi-Doron's lawyers said on Monday, "There is no substance to the charges against him, he received nothing and he is convinced that his name will be cleared."
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