A former Halifax taxi driver convicted of sexual assault in 2020, who fled the country while out on bail, has been extradited from Italy to Canada to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Bassam Al-Rawi was sentenced to two years in prison in December 2020 for the 2012 sexual assault of a woman he had picked up in downtown Halifax.
He was released in 2022 on bail while seeking leave to appeal his conviction with the Supreme Court of Canada.
According to the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service (PPS), his release order included strict conditions, which required him to live in Ottawa with his surety.
But authorities learned in May 2022 that Al-Rawi had breached his condition, and travelled to Montreal to meet up with his wife and young son. It’s believed they fled to Iraq.
PPS says Al-Rawi was taken into custody in Italy on Sept. 8, 2023. He unsuccessfully appealed against his extradition, and was ordered to be sent back to Canada to complete his sentence.
He arrived on Canadian soil last Thursday.
“This case serves as a reminder that Nova Scotia will not tolerate attempts to evade justice and will pursue fugitives to ensure they are held accountable for their actions,” Rick Woodburn, acting director of public prosecutions, said in a news release.
Twice released on bail
Al-Rawi was twice released on bail and allowed to leave Nova Scotia.
In 2021, he was given permission to return to Germany with his wife, after first appealing his conviction with the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.
His lawyers alleged the court made an error when considering certain evidence relating to the complainant’s credibility and identification evidence, as well as improperly using hearsay evidence.
The province’s highest court dismissed the appeal in a decision released in December 2021.
His defence team wanted to take the case to the Supreme Court of Canada, and Al-Rawi was granted interim release with conditions, which included living with his friend in Ottawa.
However, during an emergency hearing in May 2022, it was revealed his friend had requested he would like to end his surety, and that Al-Rawi had fled the country.
“Without being able to go into any great detail at this time, based on an ongoing police investigation, it appears Mr. Al Rawi may be in Baghdad,” Crown attorney Mark Scott told the judge.
It was noted that Al-Rawi had surrendered his passport and it was unclear how he had fled the country, although “he had had used aliases in the past.”
He was arrested in Italy in on Sept. 8, 2023 and extradited to Canada three days shy of one year later.
“The successful extradition of Bassam Al-Rawi in less than one year is a remarkable achievement,” Jennifer MacLellan, PPS executive leadership team member, said in a release.
“I want to thank our dedicated team at the PPS, along with our partners, including the Halifax Regional Police, the International Assistance Group and Correctional Services Canada.”
Previous case
In 2017, Al-Rawi was previously acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman who was found unconscious in the back of his taxi in May 2015.
However, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ordered a new trial after it was found that the trial judge, Judge Gregory Lenehan, erred by finding there was no evidence showing a lack of consent.
Lenehan’s decision sparked national outrage when he stated that “clearly, a drunk can consent.”
Al-Rawi was once again found not guilty during the retrial in September 2019.
It was during Al-Rawi’s initial acquittal that the victim in the 2012 assault came forward.