Expediting Expulsion

"Mr. Mahjoub worked in a top executive position in a Bin Laden enterprise alongside terrorists in Sudan at a time when key terrorist leaders were in Sudan.
"Mr. Mahjoub was trusted by Mr. bin Laden on the basis of his ties to the Islamic extremist community."
Federal Court Judge Edmond Blanchard

According to a summary of Justice Blanchard's findings in support of his ruling upholding the federal government's identification of an Egyptian man living in Canada representing a threat to the country, Mohamed Mahjoub "had contacts in Canada and abroad with Al Jihad and Vanguards of Conquest terrorists."

These conclusions were based on secret evidence in part accepted through foreign agencies with links to using torture as part of their arsenal of convincing suspects to describe situations they were involved with. Nonetheless the Government of Canada and its security agents allege that Mr. Mahjoub had been a senior member of Vanguards of Conquest, as well as another Egyptian terror group, Al Jihad.

Justice Blanchard, in prosecuting his function under the law, decided to uphold the national security certificate that Ottawa had imposed on Mr. Mahjoub. A situation that had restricted the man's freedom for the past thirteen years. This, despite that the very same judge felt that the government had, in its prosecution of its case against the man, violated his constitutional rights.

There are many living in Canada who may believe that anyone who lives in the country and takes their share of the privileges extended to Canadians and residents of the country, yet sees advantage in breaching their own responsibilities to the country and its residents, is in no need to have his constitutional rights guaranteed while busy exploiting opportunities to destroy the human rights of others.

Justice Blanchard, operating within the legal system of employing justice, ruled that the breaches by the government and Canada's spy services had, in fact, been either rectified or did not represent sufficiently weighty issues to warrant the case being dismissed. Mr. Mahoub, for his part, has denied any terrorist links and has never been charged with any crimes.

The government is in the process of deporting him from Canada. Which is to say this is what the government aspires to do, and has been attempting to successfully manage for years. Mr. Mahjoub refuses to accede to that aspiration, insisting that should he be deported he risks being tortured in Egypt. Mr. Mahjoub, 53, living in Toronto, plans to remain just where he is.

But newly released issues relating to his status in the country bring up the incriminating points that he used "aliases to conceal his terrorist contacts", and was "complicit" in al-Qaeda weapons training in Sudan. He worked on an agricultural project in Sudan, a project that was operated by Osama bin Laden in the 1990s. Mr. Mahjoub's lawyers explain this issue away as having represented a legitimate business.

However, not according to Justice Blanchard's reading of the situation. He has unequivocally rejected that argument; this was a time when "key terrorist leaders were in Sudan". As for the concerns raised by Mr. Mahjoub's lawyers respecting tainted evidence, Justice Blanchard conceded that issue too had previously been addressed and dismissed.