Ex-Bar Chief Efi Naveh, Judge Eitan Orenstein Under Renewed Investigation
Former Israel Bar Association head Efi Naveh and Judge Eitan Orenstein are once again under investigation for alleged "give and take" relations. Both were questioned under caution by the Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit, which concluded its investigation about a month ago. The renewed probe focuses on suspicions that Naveh assisted in Orenstein's appointment as president of the Tel Aviv District Court.
News reports from three months ago indicated that police believed sufficient evidence existed to indict both Naveh and Orenstein on charges including breach of trust and bribery. Prior to that, a former aide to ex-Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, Alon Dvir, provided testimony. The Attorney General at the time, Gali Baharav-Miara, had not authorized questioning Shaked under caution or taking her testimony, leading investigators to rely on Dvir's account.
Shaked herself has since testified before the National Fraud Investigations Unit. The investigation resurfaced following a recording published two years ago by journalist Haim Levinson, in which Naveh, then head of the Bar Association, appears to be working towards Orenstein's appointment and making various requests.