Canada Extradition Lawyer: Diab case offers insight into Canadian extradition law
As his legal team prepares for a November 8 extradition hearing, one University of Ottawa professor accused of terrorism links is fighting the validity of international evidence against him.
In a Canadian extradition case, an individual living in Canada is charged with crimes alleged to be committed in a different nation. In order to begin persecution, the other nation in question must prove to Canadian justice officials that the crime is punishable in Canada by criminal law.
The Case of Professor Hassan Diab and the Quest for Convincing Evidence
In the case of Professor Hassan Diab, whose story has made international news headlines, that nation was France and the alleged crime was involvement with a 1980 synagogue bombing in Paris – a terrorist offence under Canadian criminal law.
Diab’s extradition hearing has already been delayed repeatedly, due to introductions of new handwriting evidence – some of which has since been discredited and withdrawn.
At a Canadian extradition hearing, the judge decides whether to discharge the defendant or allow the case to proceed further before the federal Justice Minister. If the Minister chooses to surrender the defendant, the defendant is transferred over to the nation which ordered the extradition in the first place.
At the November hearing, Diab’s lawyer plans to insist that Diab stays in the country, citing a lack of convincing evidence from French authorities.
Extradition charges, in Ontario or anywhere else in Canada, are extremely serious and usually complex. If you are contacted about your possible involvement with an extradition case or international crimes, you should immediately get in touch with an experienced extradition and criminal defence lawyer. For more information, contact the Ottawa criminal defence lawyers at Auger Hollingsworth by phone (613) 699-8192 or by email [email protected]
