"Q. Do you take into account that a civil lawsuit will be filed against you?
- Absolutely not. I didn't think that a person who harmed the judicial system would sue for a civil lawsuit. It seems absurd to me."
(Par. p. 191, paras. 21-22)
- These circumstances, which include immunity from criminal prosecution and the absence of an expectation of being sued in a civil proceeding, give the version given by Steif to the police an authentic status and leave a mark of credibility on it. Accordingly, her statements to the police should be given significant evidentiary weight. This is not the case with Steif's testimony in cross-examination. This testimony is considered a "suppressed version" of a party interested in the outcome of the proceeding. Therefore, I am of the opinion that it has little weight.
- To all of this must be added the matter of personal motive. I will explain.
From Yuli's testimony it became clear that he was one of the leaders of the interns' protest against Naveh and participated in dozens of protests (par. p. 312, para. 31). According to him: "... As soon as Effi said that you only need an ID card to be accepted to study law and know how to breathe, Effi summoned us to demonstrations in front of his house and he accepted them properly. I am not ashamed of it" (par. p. 312, paras. 27-29). And also: "Where the plaintiff thought he was the examining committee and got confused, we were there" (par. p. 312, paras. 34-35). Yuli even confirmed in cross-examination that he was a partner in the establishment of a faction that ran for the 2023 elections for the Bar Association, whose goal was to prevent Naveh from "returning to being the head of the Bar Association" (par. p. 314, paras. 3-1,8-6).
- Shteif and Yuli have known each other for several years. Thus, Yuli explained that they "have known each other for over a decade, we had things in common on all kinds of issues, we have mutual friends" (para. p. 309, paras. 21-22). Against the background of this acquaintance, I am convinced that Shteif was aware of the animosity that Yuli felt towards Naveh. Shteif was also aware of Yuli's high technical abilities, as a private investigator. These circumstances support her initial version of the police, according to which she was the one who initiated and organized the tripartite meeting between her and Hani and Yuli. The meeting had one purpose - to transfer the devices to Yuli for the purpose of producing the information. This goal is consistent with the personal motivation of each and every one of its participants: Hani - the cheating wife who asked for information that would help her in the difficult divorce process; Shteif - the investigative journalist, who made it her mission to fight corruption and abusers of authority; Yuli, the private investigator who was one of the main factors in the interns' protest against Naveh.
- Even if I leave to Shteif's credit that she did not initiate and plan In advance The arrival of Yuli in order to overcome the technical obstacle in extracting information from the phones does not distance Steif from the phone hacking incident.
And what is this supposed to say?