Israeli police said they have questioned the country's chief rabbi and raided his home and office regarding his alleged involvement in a bribery and money laundering scheme.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says today's probe of Rabbi Yona Metzger followed a months-long undercover investigation into his financial dealings. Rosenfeld said police confiscated computers and documents from the rabbi's home and arrested three of his associates.
Metzger is mere weeks away from ending his 10-year term as the country's chief rabbi for Ashkenazi, or European-descended, Jews.
Along with a separate Chief Rabbi from the Sephardic or Middle Eastern lineage, Metzger has led the country's supreme body for overseeing Jewish services.
The Chief Rabbinate had no comment.
In 2005, Metzger was also questioned over fraud allegations. No charges were filed.
