A former Canadian Security Intelligence Service official says that in 2009, CSIS had little information indicating whether Absoufian Abdelrazik posed a national security threat. That information was shared with the then-foreign minister before denying emergency travel documents to the Montreal man. He needed to leave Sudan.
The CSIS agent, identified only as “T” in federal court, testified Wednesday and Thursday as part of Mr. Abdelrazik’s $27 million lawsuit against the government and former Foreign Secretary Lawrence Cannon.
Mr. Abdelrazik, who was born in Sudan and became a Canadian citizen in 1995, was arrested in Sudan in 2003 while traveling and was questioned by CSIS officials while in custody over suspicions of links to extremists. The Montreal-based father denies any involvement in the attack.
Abdelrazik claims the Canadian government left him in Sudan for six years until a federal court ruled in June 2009 that Ottawa had violated his constitutional rights and ordered him to return home.
Mr. Abdelrazik has never been charged with terrorism-related crimes, but has said he was tortured during two separate detentions by Sudanese intelligence services.
“T” worked in counterterrorism for CSIS and had been involved in Abdelrazik’s file for many years. The trial has already heard how Abdelrazik first became interested in CSIS in 1996 due to his involvement with people considered national security threats.
A CSIS witness testified off-screen, with audio modulation, about a meeting with Cannon during which he was pressured to issue an emergency travel document so Abdelrazik could return to Canada.
The witness told the Commonwealth’s Attorney that he could not recall the date of the meeting.
“As I recall, since Mr. Abdelrazik was traveling to Sudan, this unit had no new or critical intelligence to determine whether Mr. Abdelrazik indeed remains a threat to national security. “The assessment would be that there was no such thing,” they answered. He answered questions from Paul Champ, the plaintiff’s attorney.
This witness told Cannon that between 1998 and 2003, CSIS did believe that Abdelrazik posed a national security threat, and that belief authorized a federal court warrant to track his activities. He testified that he said it was enough to make him do so.
Foreign affairs officials felt Cannon ignored their advice.
Emails shown to witnesses on Thursday showed Foreign Office officials advising Cannon to approve his travel documents.
However, on April 3, 2009, Cannon refused to issue Abdelrazik an emergency passport.
Email evidence showed foreign affairs officials felt the minister had “ignored” their advice.
Mr. Champ asked the CSIS witness whether he thought his meeting influenced Mr. Cannon’s decision.
“I don’t know why Mr. Cannon made that decision,” Mr. T said in French.
Cannon is scheduled to testify next month.
The lawsuit was filed in 2009 but is currently being heard in federal court after long delays over the use of classified documents.
Federal lawyers initially filed a motion to bar the public and media from entering the courtroom when protected witnesses are called “to avoid harm to Canada’s international relations, national defense and/or national security.” did.
Federal Court Judge Patrick Gleason refused, agreeing instead to take steps to protect the witnesses’ identities from disclosure.
CBC News also intervened in the case, arguing that the government lawyers’ original request “unreasonably restricts the principle of open court and violates freedom of expression and the press.”
