Home ● Services ● Experience ● Articles ● Quicklaw Articles ● Book Review ● Publications ● Publications ● Work in Progress ● The Media ● Link Sites ● Contact ● Your Suggestions
Closed-door refugee hearing has opponents; Convicted killer escaped from African prison Star among those seeking access for public;
Michelle Shephard. Toronto Star. Toronto, Ont.: Nov 16, 2004. pg. A.21
Friends of a Mozambican investigative journalist who was murdered four years ago will argue today at a closed immigration hearing that the public has the right to know why one of his convicted killers is applying for refuge in Canada.
Toronto resident Jane Springer, speaking on behalf of 37 applicants, will request that an immigration official grant public access to the hearing concerning Anibal dos Santos, the
convicted leader of a death squad that killed well-known journalist Carlos Cardoso.
Dos Santos came to Toronto in May after escaping from a high- security prison in Maputo, Mozambique, where he was serving a 28- year sentence. He was detained as soon as he arrived at Toronto's Pearson airport and made a refugee application, according to his former lawyer.
Canada's immigration law allows refugee claims to be heard in private. An Immigration and Refugee Board member, however, has the power to order the proceedings to be heard in public if doing so would not jeopardize the fairness of the hearing or the safety of the claimant.
A lawyer for the Toronto Star will also present an application to have the hearing opened today, arguing that the details of dos Santos' case were already extensively covered during his trial.
Cardoso was killed during his investigation of a bank scam that involved the siphoning of $14 million (U.S.) from the state-run Commercial Bank of Mozambique. This past June, seven people were convicted in the fraud scheme.
Credit: Toronto Star
Member Of:
Criminal Lawyers Association The Law Society Of Upper Canada
Last Modified: August 11, 2007
Home
●
Services
●
Experience
●
Articles
●
Quicklaw Articles
●
Book Review
●
Publications
●Work
in Progress
●
The Media
●
Link Sites
●
Contact●
Your Suggestions
Copyright @ 2005 by C&H