THE GLOBE AND MAIL: The federal government is seeking the expulsion from Canada of the billionaire brother-in-law of ousted Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. But it could be years before Belhassen Trabelsi is forced to leave the country, if he can be made to leave at all.Sources report that the Canadian government revoked Mr. Trabelsi’s status as a permanent resident, granted to legal immigrants after they arrive in Canada. Officials had been investigating whether he had forfeited that status by not living in Canada for at least two of the past five years.
Mr. Trabelsi returned to Canada after Mr. Ben Ali and his family fled Tunisia in the wake of mass demonstrations that toppled the former dictator’s regime. Mr. Trabelsi is believed to be staying in a Montreal-area hotel. Mr. Ben Ali is thought to be in Saudi Arabia.
It is no easy thing to revoke residency status once it has been obtained. “If he has the resources and the determination, he can easily stay here for ten years, maybe more,” said Leo Adler, a law professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School. He noted that some individuals have successfully fought deportation for more than 20 years. >>> John Ibbitson and Campbell Clark | Publish: Thursday, January 27, 2011; Updated: Friday, January 28, 2011
Watch Canadian Press video: Deposed Tunisian president not welcome, Harper warns: Prime Minister Harper has wrapped up his visit to Morocco, Canadian Press reporter Bruce Cheadle says Harper answered carefully when asked about uprisings in several North African countries. >>> | Published: Thursday, January 27, 2011; Updated: Friday, January 28, 2011
