Alleged assassin released by immigration after being held for 2 years

CP
398 words
7 July 2000
02:20
The Canadian Press
CPR
English
Copyright (c) 2000 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
TORONTO (CP) _ A man alleged by police to be an assassin for the Tamil Tigers terrorist group has been
ordered set free at the request of Canadian Immigration authorities.

Niranjan Claude Fabian has been in custody since 1998 awaiting deportation to his native Sri Lanka. He arrived
in Canada in 1990.

Bill Willoughby, a senior Immigration official, recommended Fabian's release this week, saying the man had been
detained for two years, was remorseful and co-operative, and there was no indication when his case might end.

Faced with a call for Fabian's release from the Immigration Department itself, Willoughby, the adjudicator hearing
the case, had no choice but to order his release, Paul Hardy, spokesman for the Immigration and Refugee Board,
said Thursday.

The Immigration Department must justify the detention of deportees at monthly hearings.

Fabian had ``been detained for a very long time,'' wrote Willoughby. ``We can't predict when you're going to be
dealt with conclusively, so this really shouldn't go on if we can find some kind of potentially effective bond.''

The judge ordered Fabian to post a $20,000 performance bond and $15,000 cash deposit.

On March 25, 1998, Fabian was convicted of conspiring to forge a Canadian passport, conspiring to commit
assault causing bodily harm, and attempting to obstruct justice.

A 1998 report by the Toronto police Tamil Task Force, which alleged the city was home to as many as 8,000
trained Tamil guerrillas, identified Fabian as a ``former assassin for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.'' LTTE
is a Sri Lankan terrorist group that has killed politicians and civilians in its quest for independence.

The RCMP also identified him as a VVT ``leader'' in a 1998 search warrant. VVT is an ethnic Tamil gang that
police say is an enforcement and fundraising arm for the LTTE.

After completing his criminal sentence, Fabian was declared a danger to the public and ordered deported.

Fabian appealed to the Federal Court of Canada, but the judge dismissed the case last November. But that ruling
was overturned on appeal in January when a judge said Fabian should be allowed to remain in Canada until the
court has dealt with his latest appeal, in which he argues his deportation is a violation of the Charter of Rights.

(National Post)

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