-- TORONTO -- A Canadian woman who was stranded for months in Kenya over false claims that she was an impostor is suing Ottawa for $2.5 million for her ordeal.And regardless of all the talk of litigation... the investigation will proceed.
Sources say the ongoing probe, by the Foreign Affairs and Public Safety departments, will be wide-ranging and cover more than the controversial May 28 letter Khadour wrote that opened the door to Kenyan authorities to prosecute Mohamud, 31, before she was able to prove her identity with a DNA test.Despite the best efforts of the opposition and the media to portray this as more "systemic racism" at the behest of the federal government... this situation appears to have come about largely as the result of the actions of one Canadian diplomat.
And presumably, there would have to be more conclusive evidence than a bad passport picture.
"Please be advised that we have carried out conclusive investigations including an interview and have confirmed that the person brought to the Canadian High Commission on suspicion of being an impostor is not the rightful holder of the aforementioned passport," the letter stated.Apparently, Ms. Khadour now has a "team of lawyers"... who, presumably, are also not interested in the money...
One of her lawyers, Julian Falconer, called her ordeal “Kafkaesque.”I dunno Julian... maybe you could ask Bill Sampson.
An inquiry must be called to investigate whether Mohamud's race and culture played a role in how she was treated, said Falconer, who represented Maher Arar in his lawsuit against Ottawa.
“If a Caucasian person had been in Suaad's position in Kenya, would she have received the callous and reckless treatment she did?” he said.
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