Police Conclude Probe into Former Bar Head Efi Nave and Judge Eitan Orenstein
Translated & summarized from Bizportal by baba
Israel Police's National Fraud Investigation Unit has concluded its probe into former Israel Bar Association head Efi Nave and former Tel Aviv District Court President Eitan Orenstein. The case, focusing on alleged bribery and quid pro quo, has been sent to the Tel Aviv District Prosecutor's Office. The investigation stemmed from leaked conversations suggesting Nave advanced Orenstein's judicial appointment in exchange for Orenstein reassigning Judge Dalia Gannot. Both Nave and Orenstein have previously denied wrongdoing, citing defamation and privacy violations.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Police transferred the investigation file of Efi Nave and Eitan Orenstein to prosecutors.
- The probe examined suspicions of a quid pro quo regarding judicial appointments.
- Nave allegedly advanced Orenstein's appointment in exchange for reassigning Judge Gannot.
- The investigation was triggered by leaked conversations published in Haaretz.
- Both Nave and Orenstein previously denied the allegations.
Israel's National Fraud Investigation Unit (YAHAL) of Lahav 433 has completed its investigation into former Israel Bar Association head Efi Nave and former Tel Aviv District Court President Eitan Orenstein. The police announced the completion of the probe but did not disclose their recommendations or conclusions. The case file has been transferred to the Tel Aviv District Prosecutor's Office (Taxation and Economics) for review. The investigation focused on suspicions of a quid pro quo relationship between Nave and Orenstein. Investigators suspect Nave acted to advance Orenstein's appointment as president in exchange for the transfer of Judge Dalia Gannot from her position in the court's torts department. Nave's office represents clients in tort claims, particularly against insurance companies, and he had alleged Gannot was harassing him.
The two were detained for questioning in May 2024 on suspicion of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. The investigation was prompted by a report in the Haaretz newspaper by Haim Levinson, which exposed conversations between Nave and Orenstein prior to Orenstein's appointment as court president in 2016. Both were released on a symbolic bail of NIS 20,000. The suspicions suggest that Nave, who was then the Bar Association head and wielded significant influence over judicial appointments through his connections with then-Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and two Bar Association representatives on the Judicial Appointments Committee, acted to promote Orenstein's appointment over that of Judge Yeshayahu Shnelller. In return, Orenstein allegedly promised to reassign Gannot to other matters. Orenstein was appointed and subsequently moved Gannot from tort cases.
In past statements, Orenstein expressed regret over the "unobjective motives" and "distortion of truth and facts" by those seeking to defame him, referring to events from eight years prior. Nave previously stated the publication was a "serious act" that violated his privacy and declined to comment on personal matters. The article notes that the last time a former senior judge was arrested was in the Dan Cohen case, where Cohen was convicted of accepting bribes as chairman of the Electric Company's tender committee. However, Cohen had retired years before that case, which was unrelated to his judicial role, unlike the current suspicions.
Orenstein is currently a prominent arbitrator in Israel, while Nave was a candidate in the fourth tier of the Likud party's list for the 27th Knesset.
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