Supreme Court President Esther Hayut ruled today (Sunday) that there will be no further hearing on the state's request regarding the case of the late Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi Doron, thus finally clearing his name. The family was represented by attorney Yaron Kostelitz from Kostlitz & Co.
"The unique circumstances of the case before us do not justify a further hearing in the judgment," President Hayut wrote.
"The question of whether it is possible to hold another hearing in the case of a defendant who died in the circumstances in which his family members requested, is not a simple question and can be found here and there. "Further support for this conclusion can be found in the fact that the practical consequences of the ruling are quite limited ... This, of course, does not rule out the possibility that in other circumstances and depending on the experience gained, it will be possible in the future to be included in the ruling."
Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
An indictment was filed against Rabbi Bakshi Doron, who was the chief rabbi, in December 2012 as part of the "rabbis' case" case for receiving anything fraudulently under aggravated circumstances, attempting to receive anything fraudulently, breach of trust and giving false testimony.
The prosecutor's office claimed that while he was the chief rabbi, he approved granting rabbinical certificates to hundreds of members of the defense establishment without being eligible for it in exchange for financial benefits.
The Jerusalem District Court convicted him in May 2017 of receiving anything fraudulently and attempting to receive anything fraudulently under aggravated circumstances, issuing a false and fraudulent certificate and breach of trust and sentenced him to 12 months probation and a fine of a quarter of a million shekels.
A year after his death, in May 2021 the Supreme Court accepted the appeal of the rabbi's family, ruling that due to his medical condition at the time the trial was taking place he was unfit to stand trial, thus revoking his conviction and the fine imposed on him.
