Malka Leifer deemed psychologically fit to face extradition hearing

Her case is due to return to court in November when the reports will be examined by her legal team.

AUGUST 14, 2018 12:49

Updated: AUGUST 15, 2018 12:41

Malka Leifer, a former Australian school principal who is wanted in Australia on suspicion of sexually abusing students, walks in the corridor of the Jerusalem District Court accompanied by Israeli Prison Service guards, in Jerusalem February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (photo credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun) — Malka Leifer, a former Australian school principal who is wanted in Australia on suspicion of sexually abusing students, walks in the corridor of the Jerusalem District Court accompanied by Israeli Prison Service guards, in Jerusalem February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

(photo credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

Suspected child sex-offender Malka Leifer has been deemed psychologically fit to face an extradition hearing in Australia, ABC News Australia reported Tuesday.

The Jerusalem District Court received the psychiatrist reports and recommendations on Tuesday, and her case is due to return to court in November when the reports will be examined by her legal team.

Leifer is accused of 74 charges of sexual abuse against at least eight pupils, who were minors at the time, at the Adass Israel School in Melbourne where she served as a teacher and principal from 2003 to 2008.

She is currently being held in Israeli prison.

Leifer was arrested in her West Bank residence in February, after an undercover investigation indicated that she had been feigning mental illness to avoid extradition to Australia.

MK Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid) took to Twitter to demand Leifer's extradition and called on Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked to intervene in the case.

An outrageous story that should disturb us all. The victims demand her extradition so that justice can be served and so do we. I turn to the Justice Minister @Ayelet__Shaked once again and ask that she does everything possible to help- Israel can not be a refuge for pedophiles! https://t.co/Wk0NPkyHZR
— עליזה לביא (@aliza_lavie) August 14, 2018

"An outrageous story that should disturb us all. The victims demand her extradition so that justice can be served and so do we. I turn to the Justice Minister @Ayelet__Shaked once again and ask that she does everything possible to help- Israel can not be a refuge for pedophiles!" she wrote.

Tamara Zieve contributed to this report.