Skip to content

Abdelrazik torture lawsuit delay would be unconscionable, his lawyer tells judge

OTTAWA — A government lawyer is making a last-minute plea to delay the Federal Court hearing of a long-simmering lawsuit from a Montreal man over Canada’s role in his detention in Sudan.
13577143_web1_CPT112500758

OTTAWA — A government lawyer is making a last-minute plea to delay the Federal Court hearing of a long-simmering lawsuit from a Montreal man over Canada’s role in his detention in Sudan.

The case was set to begin today, nine years after Abousfian Abdelrazik filed the suit against the federal government to win an apology and compensation for his ordeal.

But last week the Justice Department advised Abdelrazik’s lawyer that it would seek an adjournment of the civil trial to review the thousands of pages of evidence disclosed to date.

Federal lawyer Sanderson Graham tells the court today the passage of time means the documents must be given a second look to ensure the most complete record possible is available for the trial.

Graham could not tell Justice Martine St-Louis how long it would take to complete the review under provisions of the Canada Evidence Act.

Abdelrazik’s lawyer, Paul Champ, says delaying the trial would be an unconscionable waste of court resources, adding that Abdelrazik has been waiting long enough and simply wants to get on with the case.