Engel case in court
Lawyers for Rabbi Yosef Engel and his wife Chana have appealed to Adelaide Magistrates Court to expedite their case.
Rabbi Engel, 40, and his 39-yr-old wife have been charged with 39 counts of dishonestly dealing with documents.
It has been alleged the Rabbi and his Rebbetzin sought $50,000 in grants from the State and Federal governments for the Spirit of David School…and educational institution the prosecution claims did not exist.
Ron Bellman, acting for Rabbi Engel, told the court that the case had been going on for about three years and that his client was frustrated by the process.
His associate, Nat Oliveri, acting for the Rebbetzin, told J-Wire: “We still do not have all the evidence to be tabled by the prosecution…and we cannot enter pleas without it. The mere fact that we have not entered a plea for either of them means that we are going to fight this.”
A pre-trial conference has been set down for March and Oliveri says they expect to get the missing paperwork well in advance of the hearing.
Norman Schueler, President of the Jewish Community Council of South Australia commented on reports that Rabbi Engel has taken the matter of the termination of his contract by the Adelaide Hebrew Congregation to the Beth Din in London. “If he has,” he said, “we have heard nothing about it.”
Rabbi Engel took the matter to the Supreme Court in 2007 but lost his case.
Although he is barred from officiating at services at the AHC, Rabbi Engel maintains a small congregation in Adelaide.
This guy is appealing for the case to be expedited!! What a joke. He was charged in June 2009 and the only person delaying the case is him and his genius lawyers. Yes we all want to have this case heard, as the children victims whose Jewish education was stolen from them are now almost all adults and they can provide their own evidence.