Malka Leifer case: Israeli MP Merav Michaeli says Melbourne teacher should stand trial in Australia
A leading Israeli politician has called for Malka Leifer to stand trial in Australia, where she is wanted for 74 charges linked to her alleged sexual abuse of female students at an ultra orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne.
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Exclusive: A leading Israeli politician says fugitive teacher Malka Leifer should stand trial in Australia and wants an extradition hearing without delay.
Merav Michaeli has demanded that justice be done for alleged sexual abuse victims of the former principal at an ultra orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne.
Her comments are a significant intervention in the case amid claims of Israeli political interference in the court proceeding, which has allegedly led to repeated delays.
Ms Michaeli told News Corp Australia in Tel Aviv that Leifer needed to have her day in court in Australia.
“It’s been outrageously slow,” she said.
“There is an agreement between the two countries, two democracies and one should stand trial for what they are accused of and hopefully justice will be done swiftly. I don’t see any reason for a delay.”
Leifer’s case was due to return to court at 10.30pm AEDT on Tuesday, where it was expected she would be declared fit to face an extradition trial.
Prosecutors said this week that the court had fallen victim to a fraud by “Leifer and her supporters” to avoid an extradition hearing.
They were expected to push for a hearing date to be set last night to bring the saga to a conclusion.
Yaakov Litzman was to formally become Israel’s Health Minister in late December, despite an investigation into claims he interfered with psychiatric reports to delay Leifer’s case. Mr Litzman denies the claims.
He had been acting the role prior to his position being made official.
Ms Michaeli, 53, a Labor politician, said Israelis were angry at the appointment.
“There is so much opposition and so much rage towards the Minister of Health, who according to the suspicion unlawfully used his power to prevent a trial of Malka Leifer,” she said.
“I do hope, in the name of many Israelis, the majority, I would say, that this delay would be over as soon as possible and justice will be done.”
The appointment of Mr Litzman, part of Israel’s ultra-orthodox community, also prompted a furious response from Australia’s Jewish leaders.
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler wrote to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a “slap in the face” to the Australian Jewish community.
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Ms Michaeli said that the ultra-orthodox community had a disproportionate power in Israel.
“What happened here is a specific political misuse of power by those who have much too much power than what they should have according to the size of their population and moreover according to what is right,” she said.
Leifer was accused of abusing female students in her care at Melbourne’s Adass Israel school in Elsternwick.
She fled to Israel in 2008 after she was made aware of the allegations against her, allegedly with the help of the school.
A police investigation in Australia found Leifer was wanted for 74 charges and she was arrested in 2014 in Israel, but was released in 2016 because of concerns over her mental health.
Leifer was rearrested in 2018 after video footage was shown to a court that claimed to show she was not ill.
Mr Litzman’s office denied any wrong doing in relation to Leifer’s case, saying he helped Israeli’s without “discrimination”.
“Minister Litzman has been working throughout the years for the benefit of Israeli citizens, with absolute transparency and according to the law,” his office said.
“It is a well and widely known fact Litzman’s office has an open-door policy of assisting and helping the public.
“That is, without discrimination between the populations and the sectors and without clarifying the status of those who approach him for assistance, but only according to the law and compassion.”
His office said he was “unquestionably confident” that “no defect has occurred in the Minister’s actions.”
Mr Litzman’s office added: “We are sure that justice in his case will be published soon.”