Senegalese diplomats allegedly involved in an allegedly violent Gatineau police intervention, later deemed "totally unacceptable" by Global Affairs Canada, last week's incident was involved in rent disputes leading up to
In his June 2022 ruling by the Quebec Tenancy Court, the diplomat ordered a landlord who claims his home in the Isle Mars sector of Gatineau was damaged during his stay to Ordered to pay over $45,000 plus interest. there.
Court database information obtained by Radio-Canada states that an "enforcement notice" was filed in the case on July 29, followed by him "entering the place" on August 2. It indicates that a notice has been submitted. On the same day, an altercation broke out between a Gatineau police officer working at his home and a Senegalese embassy diplomat.
Last week,the Senegalese government issued a statement,saying, "Canadian police harassed diplomats in front of witnesses and during their official duties." used humiliating physical and moral violence." the presence of her minor children; "
On Monday, when CBC News contacted the embassy in Ottawa, Senegal's ambassador to Ottawa, Vivienne Laure-Elisabeth Bampassy, said an investigation was ongoing. , declined to comment on the incident.
In her own event, the Gatineau Police said officers were accompanying bailiffs enforcing orders. According to the account, police arrested an aggressive person after one officer was beaten, and a second officer was bitten while the person resisted arrest.
Quebec's Ministry of Public Security announced that the province's police surveillance agency was investigating the actions of officers and that police charges against those arrested had been dropped "due to applicable diplomatic immunity."
The incident involved the first counselor of the Senegalese Embassy in Ottawa, the ministry added.
Global Affairs Canada's list of accredited Senegalese individuals includes her as the only female first-line counselor. That same person is named in court decisions and subsequent records showing the August 2nd visit.
CBC News did not name her because they were unable to contact her regarding her allegations.
Landlords cited water and mold problems
Two or two between the state tenancy court's decision to fine the diplomat and the bailiff's visit. It remains unclear what else happened during the month.
However, in a ruling of 2 June, the court's Administrative Judge ruled that the lease between the diplomat and the landlord had been ruled out after a hearing on 26 April, which the diplomat reportedly did not attend. explained the conflict.
The diplomat said she rented the house from November 2018 to October 2020, according to the
ruling.
In the summer of 2019, the landlord discovered that the basement floor was soaked and the walls were moldy. He learned of other unspecified problems later that year when the diplomat's spouse allegedly refused to let the landlord inspect the room and called the police, according to the ruling. } "The landlord left the premises to prevent the situation from escalating," the administrative judge wrote.
The landlord was eventually awarded damages including the cost of replacing furniture, repairing the house, cleaning the house, and "mental damage."
According to the judgment, "The landlord must satisfy the court that all risks experienced by the tenant exceed the foreseeable risks and normal conditions of owning a building for rental purposes.
Four watchdog agents have been assigned
In the release of last week's altercation, the Gatineau Police Department called for an assault on an officer. The person alleged to have been "brought" to the ground to subdue [and] detained in the back of a patrol car under the supervision of a female police officer until the situation has calmed down, after enforcement officers carried out the order.
The Senegalese government described the police intervention as a "racist and barbaric act" and a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
In a statement last weekend, Global Affairs Canada said it was "extremely concerned" about the alleged treatment of diplomats and said the incident was "completely unacceptable." rice field.
On Monday, the Bureau of Independent Investigation (BEI), a law enforcement agency in Quebec, confirmed it had assigned four of her investigators to the case. .
None of these people are former employees of the Gatineau Police Department, according to a spokesperson.
"The purpose of the investigation is to pinpoint the sequence of events as accurately as possible," a spokesperson said.
"Once the investigation is complete, the file will be forwarded to the Director of Criminal Investigation. Its role and power is to decide whether to prosecute the officers involved."
