Malka Leifer set to return to Australia as Israeli minister signs extradition order

Israel’s Justice Minister said he has signed an extradition order to send former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer back to Australia to face 74 charges of sexual abuse.
Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn said that after a years-long legal saga, it was Israel’s “moral responsibility” to extradite Ms Leifer.
Mr Nissenkorn signed the order a day after Israel’s Supreme Court rejected what appears to be Ms Leifer’s final appeal.
Ms Leifer, an Israeli citizen, is accused of abusing three sisters during her time as headmistress of the Adass Israel School between 2001 and 2008.
She allegedly fled Australia for Israel in 2008 when she learned the women were planning to file a complaint with police.
Australia lodged an extradition request for Ms Leifer in 2014, but the case has been repeatedly delayed.
In January, a panel of psychiatrists concluded the 54-year-old was faking her mental illness to avoid extradition, which led to the finding in Israel’s District Court.
Ms Leifer maintains her innocence and the six-year legal battle surrounding her extradition has strained relations between Israel and Australia.
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