Feds want RCMP to look into Canadian firm's armoured car shipments to war-torn Libya
Request comes days after CBC News published series of stories about shipments to Africa
The Liberal government has asked the Mounties to look into a UN report that found a Canadian-owned company shipped dozens of armoured personnel carriers into the chaos of Libya, possibly in violation of an arms embargo.
In a statement released late Monday, the Global Affairs Department said a copy of the UN panel's findings about the Streit Group has been handed to the Mounties.
- Canadian firm shipped armoured cars to lawless Libya despite UN warning
- Canadian armoured car sale to South Sudan should be investigated, rights groups say
There's no indication at the moment whether the RCMP intends to launch a full-blown investigation.
Handover to Mounties
The Liberal government says it will leave the matter up to law enforcement.
"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," spokesman Francois Lasalle said in a statement.
The department didn't say when the UN report, which was released in March, was shared with the Mounties.
But the handover of the file to the RCMP comes less than a week after CBC News published a series of stories about the activities of Streit in both Libya and South Sudan.
- Liberals put on the spot by Streit sales in South Sudan and Libya
- ANALYSIS| On Saudi arms deal, the new boss in Ottawa is just like the old boss
Company officials met with international investigators during the writing of the panel's evaluation in 2014 and handed over a variety of records showing the transfer of Cougar, Spartan and Cobra-type vehicles to Libya in 2012, as well as customs declarations. Streit insisted it had done nothing wrong, strenuously rejecting any suggestion it "could knowingly or otherwise break national or international law,'" the panel's report says.
UN investigators raised concern with Streit and even shared a copy of their findings, which said the transfer of the vehicles constituted a violation of sanctions.
At least 79 Typhoon and Spartan patrol vehicles were delivered to the effectively lawless nation in 2014, according to records obtained from highly placed sources.
Human rights groups have demanded an investigation into the shipments to Libya as well as those to South Sudan.
In both cases, the UN investigators found that Streit shipped unarmed vehicles that were later outfitted with weapons and used in the conflicts in both countries.
UN wants total ban
The UN panel investigating Libya says all transfers of armoured vehicles should be forbidden.
"The panel believes that all transfers of APCs should be under embargo as they significantly increase the military capability of armed groups," the report says. "In addition, most types of APCs identified by the panel can easily be mounted with weapons after delivery. The panel is also concerned about diversions of this ... [material] to militias."
Human rights groups have said the sale of the vehicles has contributed to the civil wars in both countries.
The Streit Group, which is owned by Canadian businessman Guerman Goutorov, was repeatedly asked for comment by CBC, but did not respond.
