Former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yonah Metzger, said he was “stunned” by a court’s decision Thursday to discard a plea bargain agreement and extend his jail term by one year.
A Jerusalem district court threw out a plea bargain arrangement which would have allowed Rabbi Metzger to serve three-and-a-half years behind bars. Instead, Judge Moshe Yoad Hacohen sentenced Rabbi Metzger to four-and-a-half years in jail.
Speaking with Channel 10 Thursday evening, Rabbi Metzger said he was “stunned” by the judge’s ruling.
“I must admit to you that I am stunned and pained, but I think that this still can be amended. I signed a plea bargain agreement because I felt that there was a personal reason to do so in order to reduce the suffering of my family, and also to take responsibility as a public figure – to sign it and end the whole affair.”