Avi Himi elected Israel Bar president

Avi Himi Photo: Eyal Izhar
Avi Himi Photo: Eyal Izhar

The position of Bar Association president was vacated when a criminal investigation was opened against former president Effi Naveh

Adv. Avi Himi was selected to replace Adv. Effi (Efraim) Naveh as president of the Israel Bar Association until elections are held in June this year. Himi heads the Bar Association central district committee, which is currently being formed. The selection was a triumph for Naveh, who supported support for Haimi and worked behind the scenes to have him chosen. 43 members of the Bar Association National Council voted today, with Himi receiving 24 votes against 19 for Adv. Uri Keinan.

Naveh himself voted today; his associates said that he voted for Himi. The question of whether he was legally entitled to vote at all was disputed.

48 members of the Council went to the Council offices in the Bar Association in Beit HaPraklit (Lawyer House) today between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM to elect a temporary Bar Association president to replace Naveh.

The position of Bar Association president was vacated when a criminal investigation was opened against Naveh in the sex and appointments affair. He is suspected of ethical violations, including promoting appointment of judges in exchange for sexual favors.

It is still unclear at this stage how the investigation will end, but Naveh has already lost his position as Bar Association president after resigning when the investigation was announced.

Naveh also faces an indictment in the border inspection affair, in which he is accused of aiding his partner to cross the border without signing her passport.

Under the Chamber of Advocates Law, if the Bar Association president resigns and three years have passed since the most recent elections to the Bar Association institutions (conducted in June 2015), the National Bar Association Council must elect one of its members as temporary president until the next general Bar Association elections are held. Himi will now serve as Bar Association president for a few months until the next Bar Association elections.

Himi and Keinan are associates of Naveh and members of his coalition, but Naveh chose to support Himi. Keinan initially did not comment on the matter, but today came out openly against Naveh's support for Himi. He commissioned an opinion that Naveh was not entitled to vote in the elections. The Bar Association Council, however, accepted a different opinion by the Bar Association legal advisors, according to which there was nothing keeping Naveh from voting.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 19, 2019

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2019

Avi Himi Photo: Eyal Izhar
Avi Himi Photo: Eyal Izhar
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