JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli authorities on Monday extradited a woman on the basis of 74 allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia, after a six-year legal battle that disrupted relations between the two governments.
Malka Leifer, a former teacher accused of sexually assaulting several former students at a Melbourne Jewish school, has been fighting extradition from Israel since 2014. as well as the Jewish leaders of the country.
Israeli media photographed Leifer boarding a plane at Ben Gurion airport early Monday, her ankles and wrists handcuffed. Her lawyer, Nick Kaufman, confirmed the extradition.
Hebrew news site Ynet reported that she had boarded a flight to Frankfurt, where she would transfer to another flight bound for Australia.
Her departure was timed to leave the country before Israel closed the airport at midnight due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
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.
Leifer is facing 74 allegations of child sexual abuse she allegedly committed while teaching in Melbourne.
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.
Last year, an Israeli psychiatric panel determined that Leifer was lying about her mental state, triggering the extradition.
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. ”
Manny Waks, head of Voice against Child Sex Abuse, an organization that represents the victims of Leifer, said in a statement that “this is an incredible day for justice!”
“We can now really look forward to seeing Leifer be tried in Australia because of the 74 charges she is facing,” he said.