By Canadian Press

Israel court upholds Australia extradition in child sex case

Dec 15, 2020 | 3:00 AM

JERUSALEM — Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal challenging the extradition of a former teacher wanted in Australia on charges of child sex abuse, clearing the way for her to stand trial after a six-year legal saga.

Malka Leifer, a former educator 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 six-year legal battle surrounding her extradition has strained relations between Israel and Australia.

The Supreme Court justices said that the ruling finalizes “the decision of the appellant as extraditable” to stand trial in Australia.

Israeli Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn praised the court’s decision and said he would be signing the extradition order immediately.

“After long and tormenting years, the time has come to do justice with Leifer’s victims,” he wrote on Twitter.

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Critics, including Leifer’s alleged victims, have accused Israeli authorities of dragging out the legal process for far too long.

In September, a Jerusalem court approved Leifer’s extradition to Australia after the country’s highest court had upheld a ruling that she was mentally fit to stand trial.

Earlier this year an Israeli psychiatric panel determined Leifer lied about suffering a mental condition that made her unfit to stand trial. As a result of the findings, Israel’s Justice Ministry said it would move to expedite her extradition to face 74 charges of child sex abuse.

Three sisters — Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper — have accused Leifer of abusing them while they were students at a Melbourne ultra-Orthodox school. There are said to be 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.

As accusations began surfacing in 2008, Israeli-born Leifer left the school and returned to Israel, where she has lived since.

The Associated Press