JERUSALEM (PA) – On Monday, Israeli authorities extradited a woman wanted for 74 allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia, following a six-year legal battle that strained relations between the two governments.
Malka Leifer, a former teacher accused of sexually abusing several former students at a Jewish school in Melbourne, has been fighting extradition from Israel since 2014. Leifer maintains her innocence and the prolonged court case and repeated delays in her extradition have drawn criticism from her. Australian officials as well as the country’s Jewish leaders.
Israeli media photographed Leifer boarding a plane at Ben Gurion Airport early Monday with her ankles and wrists. Her lawyer, Nick Kaufman, confirmed the extradition.
The Hebrew-language news site Ynet reported that it boarded a flight to Frankfurt, where it will be transferred to another flight to Australia.
Her departure was scheduled to leave the country before Israel closed the airport at midnight due to the country’s coronavirus outbreak.
In December, the Supreme Court rejected the final appeal against his extradition, and the Israeli justice minister signed the order for referral to Australia.
Leifer faces 74 allegations of child sexual abuse he allegedly committed while teaching in Melbourne.
As the charges against her began to appear in 2008, Israel-born Leifer dropped out of school and returned to Israel, where she has lived ever since.
Critics, including Leifer’s alleged victims, have accused Israeli authorities of dismissing the case for too long, while Leifer has claimed she is mentally unfit to stand trial.
Last year, an Israeli psychiatric committee determined that Leifer was lying about her mental state, triggering extradition.
Avi Nissenkorn, the former Israeli justice minister who had signed the extradition order, wrote on Twitter: “I promised not to block the extradition order and I did. Malka Leifer’s victims will eventually win a lawsuit. ”
Manny Waks, head of Voice against Abuse Sex Child, an organization that represents the victims of Leifer, said in a statement that “this is an incredible day for justice!”
“Now we can really look forward to Leifer facing justice in Australia for the 74 charges she faces,” he said.