Australian MPs call for Malka Leifer's ‘immediate extradition’
‘Enough is enough. This case has gone on for far too long,’ says Australian MP and former Australian ambassador to Israel during debate on motion to extradite suspected pedophile Malka Leifer
By JEREMY SHARONMalka 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(photo credit: REUTERS)
Australian MPs from both sides of the aisle have jointly called on Israel to extradite suspected pedophile Malka Leifer immediately in light of the ongoing delays in the legal proceedings against her.Leifer fled Australia to Israel in 2008 after allegations of the sexual abuse of school pupils by her came to light, and has evaded deportation back to Australia ever since a formal request was received by Israel in 2014, by claiming to be mentally ill.Leifer, who worked as a teacher and principal of the Adas Israel School in Melbourne between 2000 and 2008 is wanted by the Australian authorities on 74 counts of sexual abuse and rape of minors.MP Dave Sharma, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, and Liberal Party MP proposed the motion on Monday evening together with MP Josh Burns of the Labor Party calling for “the immediate extradition” of Leifer.Numerous MPs rose to speak in favor of the motion, so much so that time for the debate on Monday ran out, with a vote on the motion now expected to take place on Tuesday, when it is likely to pass.Speaking in the chamber, Sharma noted that close to six years have gone by since Israel received the extradition request during which time more than 60 court hearings have been held on her case, without a ruling by the court.Sharma, of the ruling Liberal Party, said during a debate on the bipartisan motion in the Australian House of Representatives that he remembered when the extradition request was made since he was serving as ambassador at the time, and said he recalled thinking it would be a quick process taking 12 to 18 months.He said that Leifer’s claims of mental illness were “an affront to justice,” “deeply traumatic for the victims of this abuse,” and “damaging to Israel's reputation.”Sharma did note that a panel of psychiatric experts recently declared Leifer to be mentally fit for extradition, and that Israel’s State Attorney’s Office has demanded that the case be expedited, although the court has not heeded this request.He also observed however that a request by Leifer’s lawyers to cross examine the psychiatric experts has been approved, a process which may take several more weeks to complete, and said that Leifer has claims about her mental health “to frustrate and delay” the efforts to extradite her.“The willingness of the Israeli legal system to entertain these claims seems to make no consideration or allowance for the fragile mental state of Ms Leifer's alleged victims and their legitimate desire to see justice served in this case,” said Sharma in parliament.“The fact that an extradition like this has been held up for five years based on a claim that the alleged perpetrator has been in the midst of a psychiatric episode that was later found to be fake is, quite simply, unacceptable,” he continued.“I do not doubt the independence and the integrity of the Israeli legal system; nor do I doubt the commitment of the Israeli justice ministry in pursuing this case, but, quite simply: enough is enough. This case has gone on for far too long.”Sharma said that the case was “doing damage to Israel's reputation as a country governed by the rule of law,” was having a negative impact on bilateral relations, and on how Israel is perceived in Australia.One of Leifer’s alleged victims, Dassi Erlich, said ahead of the debate on the motion that she and her sisters “validated and encouraged that this frustrating process will not be ignored by Australia until the extradition is honoured by Israel.”
