SAINT JOHN, N.B. - The lawyer for a New Brunswick farmer who has been detained in Lebanon for months says he wants the federal government to charge his client so that he might bring him home.

Rodney Gillis said Wednesday he's making the unusual request because he claims he has had no help from Ottawa in getting Henk Tepper out of prison since he was stopped in March.

Tepper, a Grand Falls-area farmer, is being held in Lebanon on a criminal warrant issued by the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, at the request of the Algerian government.

Algeria alleges that Tepper altered documents related to the export of hundreds of tonnes of Canadian potatoes to the country.

Gillis said Lebanese justice officials have told him they could return Tepper to Canada if they had the two claims against him, adding that Algeria does not have an extradition agreement with Lebanon.

"By doing that, the Lebanese government would have competing claims over Mr. Tepper and the country that has the most logical connection to the matter would be Canada," he said.

"So I could get him home that way."

Gillis said he would gladly fight the charge in court, insisting his client is not guilty.

He said his 44-year-old client is in a legal limbo and could spend a long time in prison if no one intervenes in his case and prompts Interpol or the Lebanese government to act.

"He could be stuck forever in Lebanon, in prison, not being charged with anything," he said. "He's not been able to defend himself in Lebanon for a crime that allegedly took place in Canada."

Gillis also wants Ottawa to ask Interpol to expedite a review of the claims against Tepper, which could result in a red alert on his file being removed and give Lebanon the ability to release him.

Gillis was in Ottawa on Tuesday to press federal ministers and MPs for help, but said he has received few documents and little support from the departments of justice and foreign affairs.

During Senate question period, Sen. Pierrette Ringuette urged the government to turn over documents on the case to Gillis and either charge him or press the Lebanese government to release him.

A spokeswoman in the Department of Justice said the minister of state for foreign affairs was handling all inquiries about the case. No one in that department returned calls Wednesday.

Gillis also alleged that the RCMP knew in 2008 about the claims against Tepper but did little to warn him that the Algerians had a grievance with him.