Prosecutors won’t charge ex-head of Israel Bar Association over sex scandal

The State Prosecution closes the criminal case into the former head of the Israel Bar Association, who had been suspected of advocating for the judicial appointment of a woman with whom he was romantically involved.

Neither Efi Nave nor Eti Craif, a judge on the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court,  will be charged.

Nave, who resigned as head of the bar association after his arrest in 2019, was one of the nine members of the powerful Judicial Appointments Committee, which decides on placement and promotions for judges in Israel’s three-tiered judicial system. The position gave him outsize influence in helping lawyers advance in their careers — a role he is suspected of exploiting for sex.

The case was closed after the prosecutors assessed the chances of conviction were low. Prosecutors had previously announced they would charge both with bribery.