Canada expelling Eritrean diplomat for using consulate to shake down citizens for ‘national defence’

TORONTO — The Consulate General of Eritrea in Toronto is the African country’s only diplomatic outpost in Canada and it has long been accused of running a collection racket that finances the regime and its armed forces.

As recently as Monday, the head of the mission, Consul Semere Ghebremariam O. Micael, denied that. “I was collecting before and I stopped collecting,” he insisted in a telephone interview. “It’s not a problem.”

But the evidence showed otherwise and on Wednesday the Canadian government ordered Mr. Micael’s expulsion over his persistent efforts to use the consulate to violate a United Nations military embargo.

The expulsion order followed a government investigation that found the consulate was acting as a fundraising front by soliciting a 2% income tax and a $300 to $500 “ministry of defence” fee from expatriates in Canada.

The scheme was considered illegal because the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on the Eritrean military four years ago over its ties to armed groups in the Horn of Africa, notably Al-Shabab, a regional affiliate of al-Qaeda.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Mr. Micael had been declared persona non grata and gave him a week to leave the country. “Canada has repeatedly made clear to Eritrea to respect international sanctions and Canadian law,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.