Expelled Libyan diplomats claimed refugee status in Canada
Three ex-diplomats from Libya claimed refugee status in Canada last year after being declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country, CBC News has learned.
The immigration cases are listed in quarterly reports compiled by the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Protocol that track incidents involving alleged or suspected criminal activity involving diplomats, their family members and staff.
Summaries of diplomatic brushes with the law range from child sex assault, domestic abuse and impaired driving to making late-night party noise and shoplifting. There are also "debt cases" including one where an embassy was in arrears for residential rent payments, but the report suggested diplomatic immunity would likely prevent eviction.
Immunity allows individuals with diplomatic status to avoid lawsuits and prosecution in the host country.
The reports, obtained by CBC News Network's Power & Politics under Access to Information, cover Sept. 15, 2010, to March 15, 2012, and show a total of 21 diplomats claimed refugee status for 51 people over that 18-month period. Identifying features such as names and the embassy or consular office's country are censored.
full: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/08/23/pol-libya-refugee-diplomats-dfait-protocol.html