Prosecutor said to recommend graft charges against Interior Minister Deri

15 August 2019, 8:49 pm

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State Prosecutor Shay Nitzan has reportedly recommended a series of corruption charges against Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, leader of ultra-Orthodox party Shas.

Interior Minister and Shas party leader MK Aryeh Deri gives a statement to the press during a Shas faction meeting in the Knesset, Jerusalem, May 30, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Nitzan has informed Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit of his opinion that Deri should face charges of fraud, breach of trust, tax offenses, money laundering and obstruction of justice, Channel 13 reports.

Mandelblit will now make his decision after consultations, with sources close to him cited as saying the case is complex and the decision will be made after the September 17 elections.

Deri was previously convicted of corruption while serving as interior minister in the 1990s and has served jail time.