Canada expelling Eritrean diplomat for using consulate to shake down citizens for ‘national defence’

Canada expelling Eritrean diplomat for using consulate to shake down citizens for ‘national defence’

Stewart Bell

TORONTO — The Consulate General of Eritrea in Toronto, the African country’s only diplomatic outpost in Canada, has long been accused of running a collection racket set up to finance the regime and its armed forces.

As the National Post first reported in 2011, the consulate was acting as a fundraising front that solicited a 2% income tax and a $300 to $500 “national defence” fee from Eritrean expatriates in Canada.

On Wednesday, Ottawa moved to shut the scheme down, ordering the expulsion of consul Semere Ghebremariam O. Micael over his persistent efforts to use the consulate to violate a United Nations military embargo.

The expulsion order followed a government investigation that found that, months after Canada had ordered him to stop, the Eritrean consul was continuing to solicit money, some of it explicitly for military purposes.

The scheme was considered illegal because the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on the Eritrean military four years ago over its ties to armed groups in the Horn of Africa, notably Al-Shabab, a regional affiliate of al-Qaeda.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Mr. Micael had been declared persona non grata and gave him a week to leave the country. “Canada has repeatedly made clear to Eritrea to respect international sanctions and Canadian law,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The diplomatic slap was meant to send a message to Eritrea that its revenue-generating practices would not be tolerated in Canada. Foreign Affairs had already sent several diplomatic notes to Eritrea warning it to stop.

“I think it had to happen. The consulate was warned and ignored the warning,” said David Matas, senior legal counsel to the Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group, which had complained to Foreign Affairs and the RCMP about the consulate.

While pro-government Eritrean-Canadians have paid willingly, others called it extortion and the UN has reported that “threats, harassment and intimidation against the individual concerned or relatives in Eritrea” were used to extract tax payments.

“The people who were being victimized were Canadian dual nationals and permanent residents,” said Mr. Matas, a Winnipeg lawyer. “It was essential that the government of Canada stand up for Canadians being victimized on Canadian soil by a foreign government.”
Darren Calabrese/National Post

As well as being illegal, the payments were highly problematic for Canada because the Eritrean armed forces provide clandestine support to Al-Shabab, a Somali armed Islamist group that has called for terrorist attacks in Canada. An Al-Shabab suicide attack in Kampala, Uganda, in 2010 left 74 dead.

Despite being one of the world’s least developed nations, since winning independence 20 years ago following a war with Ethiopia, Eritrea has fomented instability in the region by supplying weapons, training and cash to militant factions.

As a result, the UN imposed sanctions on Eritrea in 2009. The UN also passed a resolution condemning Eritrea’s efforts to impose taxes on the large number of expatriates who have fled the impoverished, repressive country.

After Canada threatened to expel Mr. Micael over the issue last September, the Eritrean government backed down. But last week the Post reported the consulate was continuing to solicit taxes and military “donations.”

And an internal letter obtained by the Post this week showed the consulate had instructed its “representatives” to use a German bank account to transfer payments from Canada that were meant for Eritrea’s Ministry of Defence. “Victory to the masses!” the letter concluded.

Canada told Eritrea on Wednesday it was willing to accept a replacement for Mr. Micael, “but that person must be prepared to play by the rules. Our resolve on this matter should not be further tested.”

Ghezae Hagos of the Eritrean-Canadian Human Rights Group said a network of pro-regime tax collectors was still present across the country. He said his group had identified 11 of them and handed their names to the RCMP. “They should be prosecuted,” he said.

In a written statement late Wednesday, the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Canada a “bully” and condemned its “hostility to Eritrea and its harassment of the Eritrean diaspora community.”

Mr. Micael could not be reached on Wednesday but in an interview Monday he denied any role in the tax scheme. “I was collecting before and I stopped collecting,” he said. “It’s not a problem.”

Asked if he was prepared to return to Eritrea if Canada expelled him, he replied, “It’s my country. What preparation? I am not a refugee here, I’m a diplomat.”

(Source: National Post)

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