The Israeli Justice Ministry has initiated the process of discussing with Japanese officials to transfer Yosef ben Ita Rivka, Yosef Bando, one of the three bochurim jailed in Japan who was sentenced this past Friday to five years in jail. It is expected to take approximately half a year to arrange the transfer of Yosef, and if the transfer is given a green light by Japan, an Israeli court would confirm the sentence and Yosef would be treated like any other Israeli prisoner with furloughs and time off for good behavior.According to sources, two years will be taken off of Yosef’s term for good behavior and he will be credited for a portion of the time already served in jail while awaiting his sentence.
The trial of the other two boys, Yoel Goldstein and Yosef Greenwald, is expected to commence in two months.
On Friday, a Japanese judge ruled that Yosef would have spend 5 years in jail and pay a $40,000 fine for smuggling drugs into Japan, even though his defense made it clear that it was done unwittingly after a “friend” had asked him and his friends to take a suitcase to Japan.
Klal Yisroel continues to daven for Yoel Zeev ben Mirel Risa Chava, Yaakov Yosef ben Raizel and Yosef ben Ita Rivka.
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
Hatzlocha…