Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, who chaired the ZAKA voluntary community emergency response group that was accused of rape and sexual assault charges, was investigated by police for similar allegations in 2013, but the State Prosecutor ruled dismiss the case despite criminal evidence against him. , Ynet learned Monday.
Lahav 433 National Fraud Investigation Unit investigators received the evidence while investigating financial irregularities within the organization that raised suspicions of sexual offenses on the part of Meshi-Zahav.
The available information shows that there were two ongoing investigations against Meshi-Zahav and ZAKA. Investigators had obtained a warrant for putting a string on his phone, with some interfaith communications raising suspicions of a rape charge occurring at a bed and breakfast in the Jerusalem area.
Prosecutors finally decided to drop the cases, saying they could not continue under the prevailing circumstances.
The rape investigation was launched in 2013 following a report by journalist Kalman Liebskind alleging that Meshi-Zahav had hired members of his family in ZAKA, which did not account for large amounts of donations, paid for trips abroad using agency money. The report also said ZAKA books were killed by inconsistencies.
The probe first picked up evidence of Meshi-Zahav’s sexual misconduct while investigators questioned members of his family.
A woman suspected in a first respondent fraud case told investigators about several incidents involving Meshi-Zahav and several young women at several bed and breakfasts in the Jerusalem area. Police gave evidence of the woman in court in a request to wire Meshi-Zahav’s cell phone.
Investigators have accepted two calls that were deemed suspicious. One concerning the rape of a woman, and another concerning sexual misconduct by a woman at a bed and breakfast in the Jerusalem area with whom he believed he had a confidentiality agreement.
The National Fraud Investigation Unit reached out to women and took their statements given by police to several other suspects in Rehovot’s ultra-orthodox community. Investigators closed the case after the accused denied evidence.
Police on Sunday launched another investigation against Meshi-Zahav after Haaretz newspaper published an article last week in which six witnesses accused of sexual assault, rape, and abuse.
The allegations came from both men and women, some of whom were minors at the time of the events in question. More than a dozen other pieces of evidence have emerged since then, TV reports said, although it is not clear how many are covered by the border legislation.
Meshi-Zahav later reached the headquarters of Lahav 433 in Ramle to give evidence but was turned away by officials who said he had not yet been called in for questioning.