ISRAEL
The Jerusalem Post
July 20, 2020
By Jeremy Sharon
State prosecutors decry ‘cynicism’ of defense’s use of concept of consent, saying Leifer manipulated her victims and used her influence and power.
Nine years after Australia issued an extradition request against Malka Leifer, a former principal at the ultra-Orthodox Adas Israel school in Melbourne wanted on 74 counts of sexual abuse and rape, extradition proceedings finally began on Monday in the Jerusalem District Court.
During the hearing, Leifer’s defense team claimed that the sex acts she is accused of committing with her pupils were consensual, and that even though her alleged victims were under the age of consent, prosecutors in Israel would not make charges on such allegations and therefore extradition should not be considered.
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