An article in the Calcalist newspaper on the senior lawyers assisting Mr. Reifman, including attorney Doron Afik of our office
(Hebrew Only)
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Reifman's Hive: Senior jurists are mobilizing for the entangled businessman
Judge Varda Alsich against him, as well as the special director she appointed, Adv. Eitan Erez, but quite a few senior and well-known lawyers help behind the scenes and volunteer for Eli Reifman. The reasons and interests are varied.
Mark Sean and Anat Roa 12: 0220.05.10
For Varda Alsich, a Tel Aviv District Court judge, the founder of Emblazeeli Reifman has long since become a sort of assignee out of disgust. The dominant judge has made it clear countless times that she does not intend to give up, and as long as Schreifman does not obey the order he received more than a year ago to transfer his holdings in Emblaze - he will spend a long time behind bars, even if the chances of the move are slim.
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However, Reifman's situation does not prevent a number of senior and well-known lawyers in Israel from taking an interest in the case. The lawyers' interest is reflected in their willingness to give Reifman assistance - in most cases voluntarily. A source close to the case told Calcalist that "at least seven different lawyers have visited Reifman in prison and have been in contact with him ever since."
The most prominent of these lawyers is Shlomo Ness, one of the top attorneys in Israel in the field of gatherings and liquidations. Calcalist has learned that Ness visited Reifman in prison about six months ago, and is assisting him today in drafting legal documents. Additional attorneys assist with legal advice, drafting documents and even direct inquiries to the special administrator, Adv. Eitan Erez, in an attempt to "close a compromise" or mediate between the parties.
Alshikh ignites
The interests behind the very unconventional voluntary assistance may be many and varied: Reifman himself was known not only as a sociable and personally charismatic man who managed to create a circle of admirers around him, but also as a wealthy man and connections, which automatically distinguishes him from other debtors who are perceived as much less interesting. Things even sharpen against the background of the media exposure that Reifman's case has received.
In addition, previous decisions to send Reifman to jail have managed to create a real debate among lawyers working in the field. Many of them spoke in closed conversations against the conduct of Special Director Eitan Erez, who launched a fierce front against Reifman instead of trying to cooperate with him.
The new case law that came out of Judge Alsheikh's table, which sent Reifman to prison by virtue of the Contempt of Court Ordinance - which has been used rarely and measured in the past - apparently also contributed to the desire of various attorneys to try their hand at aiding Reifman.
Thus, while some lawyers help Reifman out of personal acquaintance and true friendship, some have a full stomach against the powerful forces working against him - and what’s wrong if there is also media exposure along the way.
At the center of the possible considerations against aiding Reifman is the fear of a frontal confrontation with Judge Alsheikh.
Reifman's HiveReifman's HivePhotos: Uriel Cohen Amit Shaal Ata Avisat
Shlomo Ness advises
The first time Shlomo Ness 'name came up in the context of Reifman was last October, during the first and last creditors' meeting held so far in his case, in the offices of the official receiver. During the tumultuous meeting, my gray market man Narcissus, one of Reifman's great men, offered to faithfully transfer his shares in Emblaze to Ness.
Later in that meeting, Narcissus proposed appointing Ness as another trustee alongside Erez. Ness and Reifman, by the way, first met as part of the Kabbalah classes that Reifman teaches.
Ness made it clear that Narcissus' proposal did not go through, but despite his remarks, it seems that no one would have raised his name in such a way had he not given his approval to the move. Ness's office, despite being one of the leaders in the field, has not received very large cases for its handling in the last two years. The last time Ness handled such a case was as a trustee of the Clubmarket chain, which collapsed in 2005 and was sold to Shufersal.
A miracle that has proven in the past that his way is to create cooperation with the debtors and not a frontal struggle against them, advised Reifman in writing the creditors' settlement that has been submitted to the court in recent days. The proposed settlement, by the way, was not discussed at all when the judge ruled in the last hearing that "this is not the time to discuss creditors' arrangements."
Yanai conveys messages
During the court hearing last week, she sat behind Reifman, alongside family and friends, attorney Pninat Yanai.
During the hearing, Yanai conveyed messages to Reifman, and during the break, she approached Adv. Erez and offered to meet in private in order to promote a compromise in the case.
Yanai said in response that she asks not to comment on things at this stage.
Feldman is considering
One of the more surprising names associated with Reifman's name is the well-known criminal lawyer Avigdor Feldman. Sources close to Reifman claim that the two have mutual friends, who tried to link them up and bring in the businessman's representation by Feldman in Supreme Court hearings regarding his imprisonment.
According to sources, Feldman expressed willingness to represent Reifman in a Supreme Court hearing on the appeal he filed over his imprisonment, but in the end the move did not materialize. Reifman will be represented at the same hearing by the two attorneys who represented him at the time, Doron Afik and Shlomi Turgeman, who said after retiring from the case that they would continue to assist him.
Feldman told Calcalist that these were preliminary explorations that had disappeared in a short time. "Someone approached me about this, and asked if I would be willing to think about it. I said I would like to hear more details, and indeed I thought about it at the time, but no one came back to me. The matter vanished like many others."
Gicelter snatches
Another factor that has made several attempts at mediation with Adv. Erez is Adv. Arnon Gicelter, who has accompanied Emblaze since its inception in the early 1990s. Gicelter, who was also the one who handled the company's loan agreements for Reifman, was considered a key figure in the mediation attempts, and at one point almost every message between the parties went through him. All parties were comfortable talking to him.
"Eitan Erez asked for my help in collecting the assets and I did my best," Gicelter says in response. "It all ended several months ago, after in response to the help I received a package a few slaps in the face and decided to stop. "And that, too, is a distortion."
Advocate Erez responded: "What I have to say in the Reifman case will be said in the courtrooms. Regarding the words of Adv. Gicelter- I am prevented from commenting. "