JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli authorities on Monday extradited a former teacher accused of sexually abusing her former students in Australia, with the aim of a six-year legal battle that would hamper relations between the two governments drove and overturned the Jewish community in Australia.
Malka Leifer, who is wanted on 74 charges of child sexual abuse in Australia, was put on a flight early in the day, hours before Israel would close its international airport to almost all air traffic due to a raging coronavirus outbreak. Israeli media photographed Leifer boarding a plane at Ben Gurion Airport, handcuffing her ankles and wrists. Her lawyer, Nick Kaufman, confirmed the extradition.
Leifer, a former teacher accused of sexually abusing several former students at a Jewish school in Melbourne, has been fighting extradition since 2014. Leifer, 54, claims her innocence and the lengthy court case and repeated delays over her extradition have brought criticism to Australian officials as well as the country’s Jewish leaders.
The Hebrew news website Ynet reported that Leifer had boarded a flight to Frankfurt, where she was to go to another flight to Australia.
Three sisters – Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper – accused Leifer of abusing them when they were students at an ultra-Orthodox school in Melbourne. It is said that there are other victims. The Associated Press does not usually identify alleged victims of sexual abuse, but the sisters have spoken publicly about their allegations against Leifer.
Manny Waks, head of Voice Against Child Sex Abuse, an organization representing Leifer’s victims, told The Associated Press that it’s an important day for justice and incredible for especially her alleged victims, as well as for an incredible message to send to other survivors that justice will eventually prevail. ”
“From our perspective, it took far too long for this process to unfold. We have seen more than 70 hearings so far, “said Waks.
Erlich simply wrote on her Facebook page: “Leifer is on the plane to Australia.”
In Australia, the news of Leifer’s extradition was welcomed by lawmakers and Jewish community leaders.
Dave Sharma, a Member of Parliament and former Australian Ambassador to Israel, wrote on Twitter that this was “welcome news for anyone interested in this matter for justice.”
Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, said ‘this protracted saga’ has come to an end. ‘For too many survivors of child sexual abuse, justice is denied. “Now, 12 years after she fled Australia, Leifer is on her way back to face her accused in court,” he said in a statement.
Israel has extradition treaties with Europe and nine other countries, including the US and Australia, and regularly extradits citizens accused of serious crimes. Leifer’s lawyers said they would ask that she serve any prison sentence in Israel, in accordance with Israeli law.
As accusations against her began to appear in 2008, Leifer left the Israeli-born school and returned to Israel, where she has lived ever since. Critics, including Leifer’s alleged victims, have accused the Israeli authorities of dragging out the case for too long, while Leifer claims she is mentally unfit to stand trial.
Israeli police also recommended charges of fraud and breach of trust against former health minister Yaakov Litzman on suspicion of putting pressure on ministry staff to turn Leifer’s psychiatric evaluation in her favor. Litzman, a powerful ultra-Orthodox politician, denies misconduct.
Last year, an Israeli psychiatric panel determined that Leifer was lying about her mental state and set the extradition in motion. In December, the Supreme Court rejected a final appeal against her extradition, and the Israeli justice minister signed the order to send her to Australia.
Details of Leifer’s connecting flight to Australia were not immediately available.
Late Sunday, the Israeli cabinet approved that almost all incoming and outgoing air traffic should close strictly from midnight to January 31st. The government said it would make exceptions for a small number of humanitarian cases – such as funerals and medical patients – and cargo flights. The Israeli Ministry of Health has recorded more than 600,000 cases of coronavirus and 4,419 deaths since the start of the pandemic last year.
Kaufman, Leifer’s lawyer, said that upon arrival in Australia, her client would be placed in quarantine and would appear before a judge in a video conference, which would formally confirm her identity and read out the charges to her. He said he hoped Australian authorities would respect her Orthodox Jewish lifestyle and allow her regular contact with her lawyers and family.
Avi Nissenkorn, Israel’s former justice minister who signed the extradition order, wrote on Twitter: “I promised not to obstruct the extradition order, and that’s what I did. Malka Leifer’s victims will ultimately deserve an act of justice. ”