While Cairo Burns

...Ottawa churns:

Canada moves to extradite, freeze assets of exiled Tunisian billionaire

"The federal government says it will move as fast as it can to extradite the wealthy relative of Tunisia’s former president who fled to Montreal, and is seeking to freeze his assets."

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"Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says Ottawa is looking for a legal avenue to return him to Tunisia, where the new government is seeking to prosecute him.

“We will find – obviously within existing Canadian law – the means that will ensure that we can comply with the Tunisian government’s request as quickly as possible, so this individual is no longer on Canadian territory,” Mr. Cannon said. He also said that the federal government would make every effort to find and freeze Mr. Trabelsi’s assets.

The question now is whether Ottawa’s legal powers match its rhetoric – or whether Mr. Trabelsi will be able to fight his expulsion for years.

The RCMP say they have yet to receive a warrant for Mr. Trabelsi’s arrest. Tunisia’s request for his arrest has no legal impact until Canadian authorities determine there is grounds for arrest, and issue a warrant here.

Ottawa is now working on two avenues to remove him: by deporting under immigration laws and by extraditing him for criminal prosecution. But both can be challenged in time-consuming legal procedures."

This is going to be one long, complicated, drawn-out mess. By the time it's finished, I sure hope Tunisia has a good solid foundation upon which to build its new polity.