JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli authorities on Monday extradited a former teacher accused of sexually assaulting her former students in Australia, ending a six-year legal battle that strained relations between the two governments and thwarted the Jewish community in Australia. had.
Malka Leifer, who is wanted on 74 allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia, was placed on a flight early in the day, hours before Israel was forced to close its international airport to nearly all air traffic due to a furious coronavirus outbreak . Israeli media photographed Leifer boarding a plane at Ben Gurion Airport, her ankles and wrists handcuffed. Her lawyer, Nick Kaufman, confirmed the extradition.
Leifer, a former teacher accused of sexually assaulting several former students at a Melbourne Jewish school, has been fighting extradition since 2014. Leifer, 54, maintains her innocence and the lengthy lawsuit and repeated delays over her extradition have drawn criticism from Australian as well as the country’s Jewish leaders.
The Hebrew news site Ynet reported that Leifer had boarded a flight to Frankfurt, where she would transfer to another flight bound for Australia.
Three sisters – Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper – have accused Leifer of abusing them while they were students at an ultra-Orthodox school in Melbourne. There would be more 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 that represents Leifer’s victims, told The Associated Press that it was “a momentous day for justice and especially unbelievable for her alleged victims, as well as sending an incredible message to other survivors that justice will eventually triumph.
“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 a plane to Australia.”
In Australia, news of Leifer’s extradition was welcomed by lawmakers and leaders of the Jewish community.
Dave Sharma, a member of parliament and former Australian ambassador to Israel, wrote on Twitter that it was “welcome news to anyone who cares about justice in this case.”
Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, said “this long story” has come to an end. “Too many survivors of child sexual abuse are being denied justice. But now, 12 long years after she fled Australia, Leifer is on her way back to see her prosecutors in court, ”he said in a statement.
Israel has extradition treaties with Europe and nine other countries, including the US and Australia, and routinely returns citizens accused of serious crimes. Leifer’s lawyers have said they will ask for any prison term to be served in Israel, in accordance with Israeli law.
When allegations surfaced against her in 2008, Israeli-born Leifer left school and returned to Israel, where she has lived ever since. Critics, including Leifer’s alleged victims, had accused Israeli authorities of taking the case for far too long, while Leifer claimed she was mentally unfit to face trial.
Israeli police have also recommended allegations of fraud and breach of trust against former health minister Yaakov Litzman over suspicions that he has pressured ministry employees to bias Leifer’s psychiatric evaluations in its favor. Litzman, a powerful ultra-Orthodox politician, denies wrongdoing.
Last year, an Israeli psychiatric panel determined that Leifer was lying about her mental state, triggering the extradition. In December, the Supreme Court rejected a final appeal against her extradition and the Israeli Justice Minister signed an order to send her to Australia.
Details of the connecting flight from Leifer to Australia were not immediately available.
At the end of Sunday, the Israeli cabinet approved a tight shutdown of nearly all inbound and outbound air traffic starting at midnight Monday through January 31. 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 the coronavirus and 4,419 deaths since the pandemic began last year.
Kaufman, Leifer’s attorney, said that upon arrival in Australia, his client will be “quarantined and presented by video conference before a judge who will formally confirm her identity and read her charges.” He said he hoped Australian authorities will respect her Orthodox Jewish lifestyle and allow her regular contact with her lawyers and family.
Avi Nissenkorn, the former Israeli justice minister who signed the extradition warrant, wrote on Twitter: “I promised not to hinder the extradition order, and that’s what I did. Malka Leifer’s victims will finally deserve justice. ”