The arrests came as part of a bribery investigation being conducted against Shas politician Benizri and his associates. Malcha's father, Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, was also put under house arrest yesterday as part of the investigation.

Police questioned Benizri, who is now a Shas MK, for eight hours yesterday. They also questioned nine other suspects in the investigation (all told, 13 people have been questioned).

Police sources said yesterday that the three-year investigation against Benizri will be brought to a close in the next few weeks. The sources expect a criminal indictment will be issued against Benizri.

The brunt of the suspicions relate to a period when Benizri served as labor and social affairs minister. Malcha and two other Benizri associates are suspected of offenses involving obstruction of justice and breach of trust; the daughter and her rabbi father are also suspected of bribery.

Benizri himself is accused of taking bribes

New information obtained recently by police moved the investigation forward and enabled authorities to reach the stage in which suspects can be detained. Wiretaps installed by police investigators prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, the sources say, that some suspects in the case tried to obstruct the investigation.

The sources reiterate that the police have compiled solid information that incriminates Benizri. A multiple count indictment is therefore likely to be issued against the MK, the sources explain.

Benizri was questioned yesterday by the police for the fourth time.

Trying to forestall a possible effort by the suspects to coordinate testimony and obstruct justice, police investigators yesterday questioned Benizri in parallel to the arrests of his three associates and the detention of his spiritual patron, Rabbi Elbaz.

Benizri is suspected of having taken bribes from contractor Moshe Sela and his wife, in exchange for giving his consent to the employment of foreign workers by Sela. Police suspect the Selas gave Benizri favors of various kinds for years, including practically free living quarters in Jerusalem and free cleaning services provided by two workers from Eastern Europe. Some of the bribes, investigators believe, reached the pockets of suspects in the case, others were used for work on Rabbi Elbaz's premises.

Jerusalem District Court Judge Moshe Baram said yesterday that there is "evidentiary basis" to support the allegation that Rabbi Elbaz "received money, and in exchange took steps to ensure the money givers would receive preferential treatment in terms of policies enacted by the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry."

Police investigators believe Sela began bribing Benizri as early as 1998, when the Shas MK served as deputy health minister. Sela, investigators believe, helped Benizri find a place to live and the politician rewarded the contractor after he became health minister, by appointing Sela's wife to work in his office as an adviser.

Benizri stated yesterday: "This is a protracted investigation that has gone on for two-and-a-half years, and its basis is a malicious libel fanned by partisan forces ... I utterly reject this attempt to besmirch my name with false accusations."