Ephraim "Efi" Nave (born 15 December 1968) is an Israeli lawyer who served as chairman of the Israel Bar Association between 2015 and 2019. He previously served as chairman of the Bar Association's Ethics Committee in the Central Israel district, as well as the district's chair.

Efi Nave
אפי נווה
Chairman of the Israel Bar Association
In office
June 2015 – February 2019
Preceded byDoron Barzilay
Succeeded byAvi Himi
Personal details
Born (1968-12-15) 15 December 1968 (age 55)
Ashkelon, Israel
Alma materRamot College, Tel Aviv University

On 13 June 2017, Nave was elected to serve on the Judicial Selection Committee by the Bar Association. He served between January[1] and December 2018,[2] when he resigned after being indicted for illegally smuggling a female acquaintance out of the country.[3] Nave was convicted of the crime in September 2022.[4]

On 16 January 2019, Nave was arrested and investigated for allegedly receiving sexual bribes in exchange for a judicial appointment. Following the arrest, Nave resigned as chairman of the Israel Bar Association.[5] On 21 March 2021, Israel's Deputy State Attorney decided not to indict Nave over the scandal.[6]

Biography

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Efi Nave was born in Ashkelon to Iraqi Jewish parents. In 1987, Nave enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces, serving in the Armored Corps. Nave was reassigned to Mamram after experiencing a road accident.[7]

In 2006, Nave became chairman of the ethics committee of the Israel Bar Association's Tel Aviv and Central Israel district. In June 2011, Nave was elected the district's chairman.[8]

Chairman of the Israel Bar Association

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In June 2015, Nave was elected Chairman of the Israel Bar Association, defeating the incumbent Doron Barzilay and lawyer Tally Gotliv.[9]

In January 2017, Nave sued journalist Sharon Sphurer for defamation after she published articles alleging that Nave gave preferential treatment to his allies and former donors while choosing lawyers for arbitration cases that were referred to the Bar Association.[10] The court ruled in Sphurer's favor in September 2019 and ordered Nave to pay Sphurer NIS 70,000.[11]

Nave resigned as chairman in January 2019[12] and was replaced by Avi Himi. In June 2023, Nave ran for another term as chairman. He received 19% of the vote, losing to Amit Becher.[13]

Controversies

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Criminal convictions

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In 2018, Israeli police launched a criminal investigation against Nave on suspicions that he committed Fraud and smuggled a female acquaintance, Bar Katz, through Israeli border control. Nave confessed to the crime during an investigation,[14] and was indicted alongside Katz on 25 December.[15] That day, he announced his intention to resign from Israel's Judicial Selection Committee, of which he had been a member.[16] Nave claimed the indictment was politically motivated, and stemmed from his opposition to the appointment of State Attorney Shai Nitzan.[17]

In September 2022, Nave and Katz were convicted of Fraud and Illegal entry and departure,[18] and in November, Nave was sentenced to two months of probation and an NIS 2,000 fine.[19] The Central Israel District Court denied an appeal by both Katz and Nave.[20]

Corruption charges

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In January 2019, Nave was arrested on suspicions of accepting sexual bribes in exchange for Judicial Appointments.[21] In December 2019, Nave and judge Eti Kraif were indicted on charges of bribery by the State Attorney.[22]

Following his arrest, Nave filed a complaint with Israeli police for breach of privacy after it was discovered that the investigation started from evidence taken from a cellphone belonging to Nave, which was acquired by Army Radio journalist Hadas Shtief and unlocked with the help of a private investigator.[23] Nave additionally sued Army Radio and Shtief for NIS 7 Million for the breach.[24] In May, he requested an additional NIS 141,000 in compensation from Shtief for defamation, alleging she used derogatory language in her stories on Nave, including referring to him as a "Garbage worm".[25]

On 21 March 2021, Israel's Deputy State Attorney decided to avoid indicting Nave over the scandal, stating that the evidence acquired by Shtief was acquired improperly and was therefore inadmissible in court.[6]

In March 2024, Haaretz published recordings of Nave in which he agreed to support Eitan Orenstein's bid for the Presidency of a District Court in exchange for judicial favors and appointments.[26] In April, additional recordings surfaced in which then Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked agreed to promote Orenstein's appointment in exchange for favors from Nave.[27]

Personal life

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Nave is married, resides in Tel Aviv and has eight children, two from his current wife and six from the previous.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ צימוקי, טובה (13 September 2017). "ראש לשכת עורכי הדין אפי נוה יהיה חבר בוועדה לבחירת שופטים". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  2. ^ רואה, ענת (25 December 2018). "לאחר הגשת האישום: אפי נוה מתפטר מהוועדה למינוי שופטים". Calcalist. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Former bar association chief who resigned in scandal seeks old job". Times of Israel. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Court convicts ex-lawyer president Efi Nave of border fraud". The Jerusalem Post. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  5. ^ מורג, גלעד (17 January 2019). "אפי נוה התפטר מראשות לשכת עורכי הדין". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b גרינצייג, אבישי (21 March 2021). "פרשת מין תמורת מינוי: נסגר התיק נגד אפי נוה והשופטת אתי כרייף". Globes. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  7. ^ "מנהלים נגדי הסתה פרועה". ynet (in Hebrew). 14 June 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  8. ^ Altman, Yair (17 January 2019). "פרשת אפי נוה: עלייתו ונפילתו של "הבולדוזר"". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  9. ^ "אפי נוה נבחר לראשות לשכת עורכי הדין". Ynet (in Hebrew). 17 June 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  10. ^ "למי מחלקת לשכת עורכי הדין בוררויות של מאות מיליונים". ha-makom.co.il (in Hebrew). 27 June 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  11. ^ "נדחתה תביעת הדיבה של אפי נוה נגד העיתונאית שרון שפורר - וואלה חדשות". וואלה (in Hebrew). 11 September 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  12. ^ רואה, ענת (17 January 2019). "עו"ד אפי נוה התפטר מראשות לשכת עורכי הדין". Calcalist. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  13. ^ שפיר, ניצן (21 June 2023). "הבחירות ללשכת עורכי הדין: עמית בכר גרף 73% מהקולות". Globes. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  14. ^ "ההסתבכות של אפי נוה: כך הוסתרה החקירה באזהרה - ואיך הגיבה איילת שקד". TheMarker. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  15. ^ צימוקי, גלעד מורג וטובה (25 December 2018). "כתב אישום הוגש נגד אפי נוה בגין המרמה במעבר בנתב"ג". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  16. ^ "N12 - אפי נוה הודיע: עוזב את הוועדה לבחירת שופטים". N12. 25 December 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  17. ^ "עו"ד אפי נוה בראיון לעמרי אסנהיים ב"עובדה" | עובדה". mako. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  18. ^ תורג'מן, מאיר; מורג, גלעד (20 September 2022). "פרשת "מעברי הגבול": יו"ר לשכת עורכי הדין לשעבר אפי נוה הורשע בקבלת דבר במרמה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  19. ^ מורג, גלעד (8 November 2022). "פרשת "מעברי הגבול": חודשיים מאסר על תנאי ליו"ר לשכת עורכי הדין לשעבר אפי נוה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  20. ^ "נדחה ערעור אפי נוה ובת זוגו על הרשעתם בפרשת מעבר הגבול | כלכליסט". calcalist (in Hebrew). 28 May 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  21. ^ "פרשת המין ומינויי השופטים: החשוד המרכזי - יו"ר לשכת עורכי הדין". Ynet (in Hebrew). 16 January 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  22. ^ מורג, גלעד (3 December 2019). "אפי נוה והשופטת אתי כרייף יואשמו בשוחד בכפוף לשימוע". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  23. ^ לוי-וינריב, אלה (20 January 2019). "נוה הגיש תלונה במשטרה על פריצה של הטלפון הנייד שלו". Globes. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  24. ^ "פרשת "מין תמורת מינוי": אפי נוה דורש 5 מיליון שקל פיצוי מגל"צ ומשטייף". Maariv (in Hebrew). 21 January 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  25. ^ "נוה העיד במשטרה נגד שטייף והגדיל את סכום התביעה". Maariv (in Hebrew). 29 May 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  26. ^ לוינסון, חיים (20 March 2024). "כשמקשיבים להקלטות בין אפי נוה לשופט הבכיר איתן אורנשטיין, קשה להאמין למה ששומעים". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  27. ^ "N12 - חשיפה: הקלטות שקד ונוה סביב מינוי נשיא למחוזי ת"א". N12. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.