Judge’s ruling could see Quebec man deported

OTTAWA — A federal judge said there are reasonable grounds to believe a Quebec resident was complicit in crimes against humanity in the former Yugoslavia.

In a ruling Thursday, Federal Court Justice Paul Crampton sided with Ottawa in its case against Cedo Kljajic, saying a civilized society cannot turn its back on the victims of distant crimes.

The government alleged Kljajic fraudulently obtained Canadian citizenship by concealing his role in the creation and operation of a police force that carried out abuses on behalf of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb Republic in the early 1990s.

The federal immigration and public safety ministers said he was therefore inadmissible to Canada, meaning he now faces deportation.

The ministers argued Kljajic was named to a senior position in April 1992 that made him responsible for the RS MUP police, which engaged in widespread and systematic attacks against non-Serb civilians.

They said he made false statements about his past to obtain permanent resident status in Canada in 1995 and citizenship in 1999.

Kljajic contested the allegations and put forward his own version of the facts, saying he only remained in the positions he held due to fear of retribution.

In his ruling, Crampton concluded Kljajic became a permanent resident and later a citizen through false representation, fraud or knowingly concealing relevant circumstances.

The judge also found Kljajic was a senior official of a government deemed to have engaged in crimes against humanity, and that there are reasonable grounds to believe he was complicit in those crimes, making him inadmissible to Canada.