By Canadian Press

Family of Quebec man imprisoned in Oman seeks Ottawa’s help to bring him home

May 27, 2019 | 3:49 PM

MONTREAL — The family of a Quebec man imprisoned in Oman is asking the Canadian government to help repatriate him before he is extradited to the United Arab Emirates on fraud charges.

According to his son, Andre Gauthier was imprisoned in Dubai between 2015 and 2017, and has been jailed in Oman since March, when authorities stopped him from returning to Canada during an appeal of an eight-year sentence.

The 65-year-old’s son and lawyers describe him as a whistleblower who alerted authorities to irregular dealings in a gold-trading company he was involved with. They say he was blamed for the $30-million fraud after the real perpetrators left the country.

They want the Canadian government to step in to stop Gauthier from being returned to Dubai, where they say he faces potential human rights violations and has little chance of a fair trial.

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Global Affairs Canada says consular officials are aware of the case and members of the government have met with Omani officials to discuss it.

But Gauthier’s son, Alexis Gauthier, is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get personally involved in pressuring authorities to bring his father home.

The Canadian Press