BOYCOTT MEXICO
Mexico has rejected a request from Canada to release
Brenda Martin, the Canadian woman imprisoned without
trial for more than two years.
In an interview last night, Ms. Martin said she was told by
Jason Kenney, parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister
Stephen Harper, that the Mexicans have insisted she go through
a criminal trial in no less than 30 days.
Mr. Harper dispatched Mr. Kenney to Mexico earlier this week
to meet with top Mexican justice officials in an attempt to gain
the release of Ms. Martin, who is physically weak and suicidal.
But Ms. Martin said Mr. Kenney and the Canadian government
have been ineffectual.
"I think they have done nothing, basically," she said.
Ms. Martin said Mr. Kenney tried to portray his efforts as progress
because the Mexicans agreed to rule on her case in 30 days instead
of the usual 60.
"Thirty days in Mexico is not 30 days. (My) defence has to be filed
first.
It could be two months or three months, who knows, and I am
way past being able to do that time. I don't know what they expect.
"I don't understand why my case is such a big to-do," she said.
"I was the chef for Alyn Waage."
Ms. Martin, now 51, is accused of helping her former employer, Alyn
Waage of Edmonton, defraud 15,000 victims around the world of
US$60-million through an Internet investment scam.
Ms. Martin has maintained her innocence. Waage is serving a 10-year
sentence in a United States prison. He has sworn an affidavit saying
Ms. Martin, his chef and house manager, was not involved in the scheme.
Mr. Kenney could not be reached last night to confirm Ms. Martin's
recollection of what she was told in their meeting. He said this week
it would be unrealistic to expect a quick resolution to her predicament.
Mr. Harper suggested yesterday that neither he nor
Mexican President Felipe Calderon can intervene in the judicial
systems of their respective countries.
"If the president of Mexico called me and demanded I release a
Mexican national, I would not be in the position to do that," Mr. Harper
told reporters in London, Ont.
"We have an independent judicial system," he said.
Mr. Harper said yesterday the judicial process "is unacceptably slow" and
he recently requested a "full review" of Ms. Martin's file.
He said Mexican government officials "at the highest levels" are aware
of Canada's concern about her case.
"At the same time, and I'm not trying to make excuses here, I'm just
trying to say if a foreign leader called me and asked me to end a judicial
process against a citizen, I would be in no position to do that," he said.
"I don't have that kind of authority, our judicial system is independent
in this country, and notwithstanding our concerns about processes in
Mexico, those systems are independent in Mexico as well."
Boycott Mexico
The Neighbor From Hell
this is not the only TIME MEXICO has messed up.
Remember the murder of the Canadian Couple...
No comments:
Post a Comment