A former Shas minister who now sits on the Shas movement’s Council of Torah Sages was convicted Sunday of violating building planning laws. Rabbi Refael Pinhasi was convicted of making use of a structure that was built without the proper permits.
Rabbi Pinhasi had asked to pay a fine instead of receiving a criminal conviction, but the court rejected his request. A criminal conviction “is a stain on any defendant’s name,” the judge agreed, but added, “This defendant’s blood is no redder than that of the other defendants who regularly come before me to be judged for building code violations.”