Israel confirms Malka Leifer to be sent back to Australia
Israelâs Justice Minister has signed an extradition order to send former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer back to Australia where she is wanted on 74 charges of child sex abuse.
Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn confirmed on Twitter that he had ânow signed Malka Leiferâs extradition order to Australiaâ as it was Israelâs âmoral responsibilityâ to extradite the accused paedophile.
It comes a day after Israelâs Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Ms Leifer against her extradition.
The former teacherâs lawyer, Nick Kaufman, said his client wonât launch any further appeal but would seek to serve her sentence in Israel if she is convicted in Australia.
âBy then, we can only hope to deal with a new minister of justice who will adopt a different attitude to the basic principles of due process and look favourably on such a request,â Mr Kaufman said in a statement.
He accused the Justice Minister of not exercising discretion âin a considered mannerâ but acting âimpetuously in a flagrant attempt to appeal to popular sentimentâ.
Ms Leifer fled to Israel in 2008 when the allegations of child sexual abuse in Melbourne first emerged.
Tweet from @mannywaks
In a unanimous decision announced on Thursday morning (Australian time), Justices Baron, Isaac Amit, and Ofer Grosskopf wrote: âAll who seeks to evade justice shall know that they will not find a city of refuge in Israelâ.
âIt appears that there was no proceeding that the appellant has not taken and that there was no claim that she missed, in an attempt to prevent her extradition,â the judges wrote.
The Supreme Court ruled the 52-year-old can be extradited to Australia, bringing an end to her six-year effort to avoid having to front court in Victoria over 74 charges of rape and child sex abuse.
The acts were allegedly committed during her time as the head of the Adass Israel School in Elsternwick, in Melbourneâs southeast.
Her alleged victims Elly Sapir, Dassi Ehrlich and Nicole Meyers (R), at the District court of Jerusalem in March. Photo: AAP
The judges rejected her lawyersâ assertion that Ms Leifer should be allowed to serve her sentence in Israel given she was still a resident at the time of the alleged crimes.
BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!!!!
EXTRADITION APPEAL HAS BEEN DENIED!!
A STAGGERING CONCLUSION TO 74 COURT HEARINGS!Â
Only one more step â Justice Minister Nissenkorn's signature and Leifer is on the plane to Australia!!! #nomoreisraelicourtrooms
â Dassi Erlich #Leiferisback (@dassi_erlich) December 15, 2020
It is unclear when Ms Leifer will return to Australia but activist Manny Waks expects her extradition to take place in 60 days.
âAn amazing day for justice!â he tweeted.
Dassi Erlich, one of three sisters who were allegedly abused by Ms Leifer, called it a âstaggering conclusion to 74 court hearingsâ.
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