Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin has told Australian MPs he will take up the extradition case of alleged child abuser Malka Leifer with his country’s Chief Justice if no progress is made during court hearings this week.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor MP Josh Burns on Wednesday put the case directly to Mr Rivlin to extradite the the former principal of the Adass Israel ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne.
In what was described as a warm encounter in Canberra, Mr Morrison and the Israeli head of state discussed Australia’s strong commitment to seeing justice in the case of Ms Leifer.
Ms Leifer, 52, faces charges on 74 counts of sexual assault in Victoria related to accusations by three sisters who say they were abused while she was a teacher and principal at the school.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, deputy Labor leader Richard Marles, foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong and Mr Burns also met with the Israeli President.
Mr Burns said he raised the issue of the extradition of Ms Leifer with Mr Rivlin on behalf of his constituents and alleged victims.
“I was pleased that President Rivlin advised me that if hearings scheduled this week do not see this matter progress towards Malka Leifer being extradited to Australia, he will personally meet with the Chief Justice of Israel to discuss how this matter can be expedited,” Mr Burns said.
Read the article by Anthony Galloway in The Sydney Morning Herald and the Brisbane Times.