The Israeli judicial community has exploded after police of the Israel Police Major Crimes Unit, Lahav 443, arrested the head of the Israel Bar Association, Effie Naveh.
Effi Naveh, a member of the committee that appoints judges, appeared in court for an extension of his arrest in a case that has rocked the country’s legal system.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the Lahav 433 investigative body was looking into “offenses of integrity” regarding attempts to appoint two judges. He said police have seized documents as part of the investigation.
Naveh allegedly abusing his powerful position as he stands accused of having had inappropriate relations with others while promising to advance their positions.
As head of the Bar Association, Nave held one of nine seats on the powerful Judicial Appointments Committee, which decides on placement and promotions for judges in Israel’s three-tiered judicial system. The position gave him an outsize voice in helping jurists advance in their careers, a role police suspect he exploited.
One female was appointed as a magistrate court judge and in a second case, the husband of a woman who allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with Naveh was appointed to a higher court, a district court post. These incidents reportedly took place in Eilat during the annual Bar Association Conference.
Naveh, who was released to absolute house arrest until January 23rd at 6:00PM, was released from custody during a Wednesday night hearing. He does not deny being friendly with the persons mentioned, as he is with many others, but denies all of the allegations against him, as do the others involved.
The scandal-plagued chairman of the Israel Bar Association announced his resignation on Thursday.
“I made the decision because the Bar Association is very important and dear to me,” Efi Nave said in a statement announcing the move.
“I don’t want my personal affairs, which I assume will conclude in short order, to hurt the vital work of the association,” he said, adding that he wanted to “thank all my friends for the path we have taken together, and to wish success to my successor.”
The Magistrate’s court justice appointed stated that she was not on the appointment list when this occurred in Eilat, adding, “What a person does in his/her own daled amos is the business of that person and no one else.”
During the course of the investigation, testimonies were taken from a number of witnesses, including three members of the Judicial Appointments Committee, and searches were conducted in a number of places including the Bar Association. It is alleged that Naveh used his influence with the Judicial Appointments Committee.
It should be clarified that contrary to the rumors and unfounded information that has spread in recent days on social networks, the material collected does not raise suspicions about the appointment of other judges. The investigation is accompanied by the Central District (criminal) prosecutor’s office and is supervised by the State Attorney.
Israeli media reported that Israel’s attorney general recused himself from the case because of his friendship with the main suspect and that the country’s justice minister and chief justice of the Supreme Court will be called to testify.
There is a partial gag order in place regarding the ongoing investigation.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem / AP)
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8 Responses
yesh machriv olamo beshaah achas; vetayvah motzeen es hadam min haolam ” kepshuto” tizaher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And then you believe this curropt judicial system over leading Rabbonim like Rav Berland shlit”a and Rav Pinto shlit”a. Those who are muchzak in gilui arayos and shochad have no ne’emanus. Not to mention achilas treifos, chillul shabbos and yom tov, eating in yom Kippur. Why do we ever believe these people or this system? On the one hand biggest tzaddikim like the steipler gaon says he (Rav Berland) is a huge tzaddik, on the other hand these biggest reshayim in the world say he did unimaginable things which they themselves are full of. And who do we believe????
“gag order” to save the “kavod” of the “honorable judges” but when it comes to Rabbonim its a “spill all the lies you can only imagine and more” order.
@YDB – Wwe believe the audio of the admitted and convicted rapist himself. The countless videos of this predator touching women inappropriately while “giving them brachos”. The leaked audio of his wife crying to him to stop touching women. So no need for any judges.
And the other phony… you must be referring to the “Lebron James Rabbi”. The one that quite a few people committed suicide about? The one who himself admitted and apologized to the judge? No need for judges either.
Two frauds. Two cults. Two reshoyim arurim. People be warned, one of them has started visiting Lakewood sucking peoples money dry as they are desperate for Yeshuos.
@YDB – the Stiepler Gaon was niftar 35 years ago. I don’t know how he could say Rav Berland is such a tzaddik
Just a comment to YDB, you make a good point, however the reason I don’t believe R. Berland personally has nothing to do with the Israeli judicial system. Its because there was a frum eye witness who was a follower of R. Berland who testified that he saw it with his own eyes, and furthermore R. Berland confessed on tape !
I would like to clarify my above statement about R. Berland. My intent is not to speak Loshon Hara. I am not saying that because of the evidence I mentioned he should be considered definitely guilty (although its hard to avoid the fact that he confessed !) I personally feel it to be a Hillul HaShem that so many frum Jews ignore it and continue to follow him and even Davka because the secular authorities say he did it. The man confessed… there are eye witnesses… he ran away and became a fugitive…. there are plenty of reasons that R. Berland himself has given us to doubt his innocence and not elevate him as a “tzadik”. It cheapens the concept of a real Tzadik and makes the Frum world look really immoral.
Jeff, I’ve got some bad news for you. There is a great deal of immorality in the frum world.