BEIRUT - The lawyer for a New Brunswick farmer jailed in Lebanon for the last nine months says a request from the Canadian government could get his client released.
Jim Mockler said Lebanese Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi told him Tuesday that Henk Tepper's case is now within the government's jurisdiction.
"They have moved the file into the political sphere, into the hands of the minister of justice," Mockler said in an interview from Beirut.
"He requires a request from Canada to return Mr. Tepper home. It's also my understanding that any request by the Government of Canada will take precedence over any other request."
Mockler said a decision by Qortbawi to release Tepper would be subject to approval by the Lebanese president and prime minister.
Tepper, 44, has been held in a Beirut prison since March 23 under an international arrest warrant over allegations that potatoes he exported to Algeria in 2007 were rotten.
Algeria alleges that Tepper forged documents related to the export of potatoes from Quebec and Prince Edward Island.
Tepper's lawyers have denied the allegation, saying the potatoes were inspected in Canada before shipment and met Algerian standards.
For months, Mockler and other Tepper supporters have been calling on the federal government to intervene and seek his release.
"The response by the Government of Canada has been that they do not interfere with the judicial process of other countries," Mockler said.
"That's fair, but the file has now been in the political sphere for the past three weeks."
Mockler said he also met with the Canadian ambassador to Lebanon on Tuesday.
"We told her that the minister of justice required a letter from the Government of Canada asking for Mr. Tepper's release so he could be returned to Canada," he said. "This also seemed to be news to her."
A spokesman for Diane Ablonczy, the minister of state for foreign affairs, said officials were not yet certain what kind of letter the Lebanese government would require to have Tepper released.
"Our government is very concerned about Mr. Tepper's case," said John Babcock. "We know this is a very difficult situation for Mr. Tepper and his family.
"We continue to engage senior Lebanese authorities to register our interest in this case."
Mockler said Ottawa has a window of opportunity.
"I'm not leaving here without Henk Tepper," Mockler said.
Tepper's family has raised concerns about his physical and mental health during his time in custody.
His sister Harmien Tepper-Dionne spent two weeks visiting him last month in Beirut.
She said he has lost weight, seemed mentally shaken and told her he didn't know how much more he could take of the imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Tepper's large potato farming operation based in Drummond in northwestern New Brunswick remains under creditor protection.
Other lawyers for Tepper have until this Friday to present the court with a plan to deal with more than $11 million in debt.
