Yosef Haim, Deri confidant
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Aryeh Deri associate suspected of blackmail
A man, who is considered a confidant of Shas Chairman and Interior Minister Deri, along with two others, have had their remands extended in a blackmail scandal.
One of the men arrested in the case of suspected blackmail against a Shas leader in the Jerusalem municipality is actually a close associate of Minister and Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri.
The man, Yosef Haim Kalif, had his detention extended for four days, while two other suspects in the case—Moshe Bergman and Yohanan Davda—were also kept in custody.
Interior Minister Deri has no involvement in the case, for now.
According to suspicions, a former member of the council was recorded after he began confessing to reckless sexual behavior and violating Shabbat rules.
Yosef Haim, a close associate of Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
The suspects then confronted the council member with the incriminating recordings, forcing him to resign from his position. The council member subsequently claimed that he was blackmailed, and consequently submitted a complaint to the police.
One of the suspect's lawyers, Yair Nahorai, said that there is no evidence to suggest that his client, Mr. Bergman, has any connection to the affair for which he is being investigated.
A police representative said at the hearing to extend Davda's remand that "This is a group of people who, together, conspired to take down a serving council member."
The representative added that "we have evidence which connects him to the toppling of the council member."
The police also are also allegedly aware of other suspects who they have yet to arrest in regards to the issue.
