A New Brunswick potato farmer who claims the federal government didn’t do enough to secure his freedom during more than a year in a Lebanese jail will have to wait until the end of next year for his lawsuit to go to trial.
Federal Court this week directed that the case filed by Henk Tepper in 2013 be scheduled for trial beginning in mid-December 2020 for about 10 weeks.
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Tepper’s lawsuit alleges the Canadian government violated his right to life, liberty and security of person by failing to secure his release.
The lawsuit, which seeks $16.5 million in damages, also says the RCMP provided Algerian authorities with private information, including the annual sales from Tepper’s farm and the value of his home, in contravention of the Privacy Act.
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He was arrested in Lebanon in 2011 on an Interpol Red Notice on allegations he tried to export diseased potatoes to Algeria.
Tepper eventually returned to Canada on March 31, 2012 after his lawyers obtained a Lebanese presidential decree, but he said he felt let down by his own government.