Lawyers for former Israel Bar Association Effi Naveh accused the Israel Police of misconduct on Thursday, saying the evidence that supposedly showed him trading influence in judicial appointments for sexual favors had been obtained unlawfully, but law enforcement officials denied that claim.
"There is no doubt that the information was obtained by illegal means, and it may well have been stolen," Naveh's attorney, Boaz Ben Zur, told Hadashot evening news on Thursday.
The investigation into the affair, which led to Naveh's arrest on Wednesday, began some two weeks ago, following a tip from Army Radio police correspondent Hadas Shtaif, who reportedly obtained access to a mobile device Naveh had once used.
Ben Zur accused Shtaif of handing the mobile device to a specialist who extracted the relevant information. "How can this possibly be in line with due process?" Ben Zur asked.
Naveh is accused of using his influence on the Judicial Selection Committee - the official body in charge of appointing judges in Israel - in return for sexual favors. In once case, he allegedly secured the appointment of a female lawyer to the magistrates' court bench in exchange for having sex with him.
In another case, he told a different lawyer he would secure a promotion for her husband, who is a judge, if she accepted his sexual advances. She allegedly agreed, but he ultimately failed to secure the husband the district court judgeship he promised. Investigators believe that the allegations could comprise bribery.
Ben Zur said that Naveh was not going to confirm or deny his "romantic" relations during the period in question.
"He is accused of being intimately involved with a judicial nominee [during her confirmation process], but he told police that he would not comment on such matters because it was not relevant to the case," Ben Zur said.
The police dismissed Ben Zur's claims on Friday, saying the investigative work had followed proper procedures.
"Every step taken during the investigation was done so lawfully," the police said in a statement.
"We are not going to confirm or deny the reports on how law enforcement obtained the information," the statement continued.
The police went on to say that because of the private nature of the information on Naveh, investigators on the case would only be allowed to examine evidence that could indicate "potentially criminal behavior."
