Yona Metzger, the former Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, has been sentenced to four and a half years in jail on fraud and other charges.

Metzger’s lawyers had proposed a deal in January under which he would plead guilty to fraud, breach of trust and tax offences and receive three and a half years, instead of the maximum seven years.

However, the judge, Moshe Yoad Hacohen, said in his ruling that he felt that he needed to increase the sentence due to Metzger’s senior public position.

Metzger will be the first Israeli chief rabbi to serve jail time on corruption charges. He is scheduled to begin his prison sentence on May 3 at Nitzan Prison in Ramle.