Raveena Aulakh
A Toronto lawyer is going to court tomorrow to prove Suaad Hagi Mohamud is Suaad Hagi Mohamud.
Raoul Boulakia filed an application in federal court yesterday seeking immediate government help to get his client home from Nairobi.
"We're asking she be repatriated and the government provide her with travel documents and pay for her travel," said Boulakia. He also filed six signed statements from Mohamud's family members and friends vouching for her identity.
One of the key issues has been fingerprints. When Mohamud was detained, she insisted her fingerprints be taken so they could be matched with those taken when she applied for Canadian citizenship.
But yesterday, a spokesperson for the Canadian Border Services Agency said they don't even have her earlier fingerprints.
The spokesperson, who cited privacy laws in declining to comment on Mohamud's case, said fingerprints are only requested on citizenship applications if there is some question of criminality. "Fingerprints are then destroyed once a citizenship application is closed," Patrizia Giolti said in an email to the Star.
"Then why is the high commission (in Nairobi) pretending they are waiting for fingerprints?" said Boulakia last night. "Why are they wasting our time?"
Mohamud left Toronto on April 29 to visit her mother. She says she was trying to return here May 17 when a Kenyan officer stopped her at the Nairobi airport and said she didn't look like her four-year-old passport photo.
Her other pieces of Canadian photo ID were also rejected.
She spent eight days in jail and was released on bail with no travel papers. Kenyan officials sent her passport to Canadian consular officials, who said she was an "imposter," voided the passport and sent it back to the Kenyans for prosecution.
The Somali-born Mohamud will be in a Nairobi court on Friday where she could face a jail sentence or even deportation to her lawless native land.
"I have only a few days left – they (her family and lawyer) have to come up with something or I'm doomed," the 31-year-old mother said by phone from Nairobi.
At that time, she didn't know the Canadian Border Services Agency had revealed that her earlier fingerprints were no longer available.
If there were no earlier prints to compare with, then why did authorities bother to take new ones? The Canadian Border Services Agency did not answer that question yesterday.
But one possible reason might be to try to match them with another set in the database, as a check for a criminal record.
Boulakia is hoping to get some answers in federal court tomorrow.
"This can't go forever," said the Toronto lawyer. "Imagine being overseas and having no way to prove your Canadian citizenship. It's a nightmare."
He wants to know why government agencies haven't checked Mohamud's identity claims with her 12-year-old son, other family members and friends.
Meanwhile, Liberal MP Dan McTeague came down heavily on the Conservative government saying Mohamud's case "devalues" Canadian citizenship.
"She's done her due diligence. I'd like to know what the holdup is," said the MP.
"I know the machinery of government can move a lot quicker if it has to," said McTeague (Pickering-Scarborough East).
"It requires intervention at the top end. Where is the foreign minister?"
Instead, federal officials are leaving Mohamud in diplomatic limbo, unwilling to get to the bottom of the potential confusion around her identity, he charged yesterday.
Yesterday, there was confusion in the government ranks over what department was handling the issue.
Staff for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon referred questions to Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan.
A spokeswoman for Cannon said she had "nothing to add" even though the department had said little previously.
By the end of the day, Van Loan's staff was referring queries back to Cannon's office.
With files from Bruce Campion-Smith in Ottawa
Comments
The problem is in the Canadian Embassy system
It's not well known but Canadian embassies are notorious for sloth and incompetence. I speak from personal experience with the embassy in Indonesia where my passport was stolen. Fourteen days were required to issue emergency travel documents and then only because Canadian relatives exerted pressure directly on the ambassador through personal connections in Canada. This lady's problem is most likely the result of a low-level embassy employee who made a poor decision based on bad judgment. The embassy system has now closed ranks in order to avoid embarrassment and the government is obliged to go along until pushed otherwise. Cronyism and incompetence.
Submitted by Marjorie Whitfield at 8:49 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
4th generation Canadian
and I photograph badly...I don't look anything like my driver's license photo, or my passport photo...never have
Submitted by Ithink at 8:44 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
Identity
Until she can prove her identity she should not be allowed into Canada. Canadian passports are very easy to obtain by people who want to scam their way into the country.
Submitted by jlane at 8:40 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
One way or another it can't be that hard to prove
who she is or isn't. I can send a digital photo to Tibet in 60 seconds!
Submitted by westender at 8:37 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
There's way more to this story than meets the eye. And, BTW, the States can keep that 'young man' in Gitmo. He is where he belongs.
Submitted by Lasher1000 at 8:34 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
Does anyone remember the quote from CDN. consular website?
It says (approx.) that CDN. consular officials will have a difficulty providing assistance to people in the countries where they were born. This note was posted many years ago in CDN. passport offices. My note to anyone - if you go back to your "homecountry" then you may run head-on into a wall of corruption, xenophobia a social jealousy so big that you cannot even comprehend.
Submitted by OGRE at 8:31 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
to "Canada for Canadians"
The point of this story is that this woman IS Canadian. Don't worry about your tax dollars, they're using mine and hers too.
Submitted by AA1 at 8:26 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
Bring her home,you brought the woman from Mexico back,now she wishes that she was back in Mexico,and while your at it bring home the young man from Gitmo,he was born here.
Submitted by lefty at 7:43 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
Another Example
Of our government deciding who is allowed the protection of our citizenship, instead of following the law of the land. A Canadian citizen in another land should be afforded all the protection that is accorded by law, not dependant on whether the government is interested in helping that individual. This is not the first time the government has been taken to task (or court for that matter) to force them to follow the law of the land. This is becoming an international embarrassment. I want my government to assist any and all citizens of Canada
Submitted by wee_one at 7:41 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
There has to be more
I think there is a lot more to this story that we are not hearing.
Submitted by Uncle Cool at 7:39 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
no fingerprints?
I am sure her fingerprints are all over her home...
Submitted by RC11 at 7:31 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009
Until....
...we know that she is who she claims to be, leave here there and DO NOT spend a single cent of my tax dollars on her. Period.
Submitted by Canada for Canadians at 7:19 AM Tuesday, July 21 2009