Malka Leifer deemed fit to stand trial by the Supreme Court after mental fitness appeal rejected
A mental fitness appeal by a former Melbourne principal accused of sexually assaulting a number of students has been rejected by an Israel court, paving the way for a decision about her extradition.
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Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected the argument from accused paedophile Malka Leifer that she was mentally unfit to be extradited back to Australia.
The former Melbourne school principal turned fugitive is facing 74 counts of child sex abuse while she was principal.
On Wednesday night Melbourne time, judges in Israel’s highest court unanimously rejected Leifer’s appeal, saying none of the arguments presented by her lawyers point to her being mentally unfit to stand trial and be extradited.
The decision paves the way for her extradition.
Alleged victim Dassi Erlich wrote on Twitter: “Bring on Sept 21! #bringleiferback”.
She tweeted that the judge will now make a decision on whether or not Leifer will be extradited to Australia.
“The decision we’ve been waiting nine years to hear since we gave our police statements in 2011,” she wrote.
It came after a Melbourne magistrate on Wednesday lifted gag orders to allow Leifer’s alleged sexual abuse victims to publicly share their story.
Sisters Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper are the first to be granted permission by the courts to identify themselves since new Victorian laws were quietly introduced in February to silence sexual abuse victims.