(Author: Libyan Gazette Editorial Staff)
The Canadian government told the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada’s federal police force, to look into a UN report which stated that a Canadian owned company violated a UN arms embargo by sending dozens of armoured personnel carriers to war-torn Libya.
On Monday, the Canadian Global Affairs Department said that the RCMP has been given a copy of the UN report that mentions the deals made by Streit Group, the Canadian company in question. The Canadian government, however, did not specify when the RCMP received the UN report which was released in March.
It is unclear whether the RCMP will dig deeper and thoroughly investigate the alleged violation of a UN arms embargo on Libya. The Canadian government is leaving it up to the RCMP to figure out what should be done about the matter.
“It is the role of the RCMP to investigate potential offences under Canadian law, while the prosecution of offences under federal jurisdiction is the responsibility of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada who will determine if Canada has jurisdiction to prosecute based on the facts of the case,” said Francois Lasalle, spokesperson for Global Affairs.
The announcement that the RCMP would be involved in the matter came after CBC News reported on activities of Streit Group in Libya and South Sudan which were published last week.