Religious Affairs Ministry director questioned in corruption probe

Yehuda Avidan reportedly suspected of trying to influence decisions of someone connected to the ministry, scuttle justified dismissal of an employee

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and ToI Staff

Today, 8:01 pm

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The director general of the Religious Affairs Ministry, Yehuda Avidan, was questioned under caution by the police on Sunday on suspicion of criminal corruption.

Police confirmed that three senior officials were questioned by detectives in the Lahav 433 major crimes unit on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust, abuse of authority, and issuing threats.

The statement did not identify any of the officials by name, but Avidan’s attorney, Ofer Bartal, confirmed that his client had been called in for questioning.

The head of the Religious Affairs Ministry’s human resources division was reported to be one of the other two people questioned along with Avidan.

Avidan is suspected of trying to illicitly influence the decisions of someone connected to his ministry, as well as scuttle the justified dismissal of an employee within the ministry, the Kan public broadcaster reported.

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Bartal, in a statement, said that suspicions against Avidan stemmed from “a claim by the head of a religious council” who alleged that the director general “forbade him from firing one of his employees because he is a Shas member.”

The employee in question was a kosher supervisor in Kiryat Malachi, southern Israel, according to Ynet.

Bartal denied that the reason for Avidan’s intervention was political, saying that he had gotten involved because the religious council had been trying to fire the employee “illegally,” without the preliminary disciplinary hearing required by law.

“The employee was reinstated — until he was fired following a hearing that was held as required,” Bartal said, adding that Avidan would “continue to direct employees under him to only act lawfully.”

The suspicions against Avidan were the latest in a string of corruption charges and allegations leveled against civil servants and political officials in recent months.

The incidents have involved officials from all levels of politics, both local and national, reaching as far as the Prime Minister’s Office, where the acting director, Drorit Steinmetz, is a suspect in a corruption investigation involving Social Equality Minister May Golan.

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