Israel Extradites Child Sexual Abuse Accused Malka Leifer

Israeli authorities extradited a former teacher accused of sexual abuse on her pupils after six years of legal battle on Monday. The accused woman named Malka Leifer is facing 74 charges of child sex abuse in Australia. 

 Leifer was made to take a flight Ben Gurion Airport in Frankfurt to Australia on January 25. The accused woman's extradition was confirmed by her lawyer Nick Kaufman. 

The former teacher Malka Leifer was fighting against her extradition since 2014 and she still claims herself to be innocent according to reports. Her delayed extradition had raised conflicts between Australia's officials and Israel. Leifer used to teach at a Jewish school in Melbourne where she allegedly committed the crime.  Jewish leaders of Australia have also called out the delay 

“This is an incredible day for justice!” said Manny Waks, the head of Voice against Child Sex Abuse, an organization that represents Leifer’s victims. He added, "We can now truly look forward to Leifer facing justice in Australia on the 74 charges she is facing.” 

 Dassi Erlich, one of the three sisters who accused Leifer of sexual assault at an ultra-orthodox school in Melbourne took to Facebook and simply wrote, “Leifer is on the plane to Australia.” Elrich along with her sisters Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper has been vocal about their allegations against Leifer in public.

The accusations against Leifer started surfacing in 2008 after which she went to Israel and has lived there since. Israeli authorities earlier said that Leifer is mentally unstable to face trials, which was seen as a false claim by the survivors who claimed that the authorities are dragging out the case. 

Feature image credit: BBC