Canadian Supreme Court targets another elderly Ukrainian man

 

With an explosion of gun related murders throughout GTA, Canada again starts diverting critical resources from fighting crime by targeting Ukrainian men in their 80’s and 90’s. This time Canada's Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant a new appeal to an elderly Ukrainian who for years has fought extradition to Italy.

The high court did not explain its ruling on Michael Seifert, whom Italy is seeking to have serve a life term for allegedly murdering and torturing prisoners at a Nazi transit camp in the country's north in 1944-1945.

Seifert, who has lived in Canada since 1951, maintains he is innocent of the crimes at the Bolzano camp. He was convicted in Italy in absentia in 2000.

In Canada a British Columbia court in 2003 said he should be extradited to Italy. The ruling was upheld the following year by another provincial court.

The high court's decision in theory clears the way for Seifert's extradition but there was no immediate comment from his attorney or justice officials.

In November a federal court gave a green light to strip Seifert of his Canadian citizenship, based on his entering the country with "misrepresentation and nondisclosure of material facts," Judge James O'Reilly said at the time.

Seifert, 83, was condemned to life in prison in an Italian court in November 2000, on 18 charges of murder and torture at Bolzano.

Canada has withdrawn the citizenship of 54 people since 1977. Seven of those cases were linked to World War II.

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