Former CSIS official denies claim that spy agency tried to ‘scare’ diplomats working to free Abdelrazik

A former senior Canadian Security Intelligence Service official has refuted allegations that the spy agency played a role in keeping Abousfian Abdelrazik, a terrorism suspect at the time, detained in Sudan in the early 2000s.

The CSIS agent, known only as ‘T’ in Federal Court proceedings, testified for the third consecutive day on Friday in connection with Abdelrazik’s $27 million lawsuit against the federal government. Abdelrazik’s claim asserts that the government was complicit in his arbitrary imprisonment.

Abdelrazik, a Canadian citizen of Sudanese descent, claims that the federal government encouraged his detention by Sudanese authorities and obstructed his repatriation to Canada for several years.

In 2003, Abdelrazik was arrested in Sudan during a visit to his mother and was interrogated by Sudanese officials and CSIS agents about suspected extremist ties. He eventually returned to Canada in 2009 following a court ruling that Ottawa had violated his constitutional rights by denying him an emergency passport.

During the court proceedings, Abdelrazik’s lawyer, Paul Champ, presented government emails and documents from 2003 that suggested CSIS may have been working to impede efforts by consular staff on Abdelrazik’s behalf. ‘T’, who was involved in Abdelrazik’s file for years, maintained that CSIS did not request Sudan to detain Abdelrazik and could not prevent Foreign Affairs staff from providing consular services.

Champ argued that CSIS could have influenced Foreign Affairs’ decision-making by labeling Abdelrazik in a negative light, warning of potential repercussions if he was released. However, ‘T’ denied these claims, stating that CSIS did not engage in such actions.

In one email from December 15, 2003, Scott Heatherington, then director of foreign intelligence at Foreign Affairs, relayed to CSIS that Sudanese officials indicated they were holding Abdelrazik at Canada’s request. ‘T’ reiterated that the request did not originate from CSIS.

Another document presented in court showed a CSIS employee expressing concerns to Foreign Affairs about the potential consequences of releasing Abdelrazik, referring to him as a dangerous extremist. The employee warned of international backlash if Abdelrazik were to engage in terrorist activities. ‘T’ clarified that this viewpoint belonged to a single employee and did not reflect his own beliefs.

Despite being cleared of terrorism charges by the RCMP in 2007, Abdelrazik faced challenges obtaining a passport to return to Canada in 2009. He ultimately came back to Canada after a court ruled in his favor, finding that the government had violated his rights.

The federal government’s legal team has denied any wrongdoing in Abdelrazik’s case, arguing that they did not breach their duty of care towards him. The civil trial, which was initially scheduled to commence in 2018, was postponed to review additional evidence under the Canada Evidence Act.