Accused paedophile Malka Leifer is set to face a Melbourne court within the next week after her extradition from Israel.
Ms Leifer could arrive in Melbourne as early as Tuesday night after boarding a plane in Israel on Monday, following last month’s ruling by the Supreme Court of Israel that the 52-year-old return to Melbourne to face prosecution. Australian authorities were on Tuesday tight-lipped about when she would arrive in Melbourne.
The former principal of the Adass Israel School in Elsternwick is accused of sexually abusing three of her then students between 2001 and 2008. Ms Leifer has long maintained she is innocent.
She fled to Israel in 2008 when the allegations were first aired, and the December decision of the Supreme Court of Israel to dismiss Ms Leifer’s appeal against extradition ended a six-year legal fight to have her return to face court in Melbourne.
Ms Leifer is expected to spend at least two weeks in quarantine in custody after her arrival in Melbourne. During that time, she is expected to appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court for an initial administrative hearing.
That filing hearing could be held as early as Thursday or Friday and would probably be conducted via a video link, which would mean Ms Leifer would not have to attend court in person while in quarantine. Ms Leifer would also have the option of seeking bail in one of her early hearings.
Read the article by Adam Cooper and David Estcourt in The Age.