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| Subject: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust |
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AN OLD STORY HOWEVER THOUGHT OF SHARING IF ANYONE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS.
WANT TO SEE THE PICTURE OF THE JUDGE THEN GO TO THIS LINK:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061012/Refugee_judge_061012/20061012?hub=TorontoHome
Refugee judge charged with breach of trust
Updated Thu. Oct. 12 2006 10:53 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The RCMP has laid charges against an immigration judge accused of offering to assist a South Korean woman with her refugee claim in exchange for sexual favours.
Steven Ellis, a 47-year-old Toronto adjudicator, has been charged with breach of trust, knowingly making or issuing a false document or statement, or accepting or agreeing to accept a bribe or other benefit in respect to a refugee application.
CTV News broke the story last week, after being provided with videotapes.
The woman, known publicly only as Kim, and her Canadian boyfriend secretly videotaped a conversation that took place at a downtown Toronto coffee shop.
Ellis has been suspended from his job and is freed on $100,000 bail. He must remain in Ontario and avoid any contact with Kim or her boyfriend.
The man in the tape, whom the couple alleges is Ellis, appears to offer to help approve the woman´s application if she agrees to have an affair with him. The man warns her not to tell her boyfriend.
"He said he would give me refugee status if I became his friend," Kim told CTV News.
The couple sent a copy of the tape to CTV News earlier this month, as well as to Jean Guy Fleury, chairman of the Immigration and Refuge Board. Fleury then suspended Ellis, banned him from IRB property and passed the information on to the RCMP.
In this taped conversation, a man alleged to be Ellis asked Kim not to tell anyone about his offer to help her.
"If we do this and it´s shown I did this for improper purposes, then you are screwed too," the man warned her. "We are both screwed. I´m in big trouble and your status is gone."
Fleury said he had no tolerance for corruption within the IRB.
"Canadians have a right to demand that the IRB´s processes are conducted in an ethical and fair manner. There is no tolerance for abuse of any kind in this institution."
The video appears to show Ellis meeting with Kim outside of his chambers. He brought her confidential case file along.
"Let me see what I can do. I´m going to work on it. I really want to be friends with you," he allegedly told her.
The man in the video tells Kim he had planned to deport her but had second thoughts.
"The initial (decision) was no, but now that I know you, I´m not going to be able to sleep if I say no. I won´t be able to sleep," the man on the tape said.
Ellis, a former two-term Toronto city councilor, allegedly sought Kim out on two separate occasions after first hearing her case in July.
"I had no choice. When he asked me for the coffee, I had to meet him. I was afraid he would say no, deny my case," Kim said.
The allegations of sexual misconduct are believed to be the first of their kind involving an IRB judge since the board was created in 1989. Annual statistics of complaints against IRB members are not available.
Ellis´s lawyer, Toomas Ounapuu, says he hasn´t viewed the tape yet but may challenge its legality.
"The way it was obtained" may be suspect, he said. "I don´t know how it was obtained."
The Immigration and Refugee Board won´t say whether there are other women who have come forward with similar allegations against Ellis.
But the NDP says all of Ellis´ refugee cases need to be reviewed.
"Well, it is totally possible that this may not be the only incident," said NDP MP Olivia Chow.
Ellis, who was appointed to the IRB in 2000, has adjudicated 1,279 refugee claims during his career at the IRB.
Ellis was a Liberal political appointee, a practice critics say the Conservative government needs to end.
"Members of the Immigration and Refugee Board need to be appointed strictly on the basis of merit," said veteran Toronto immigration lawyer Sergio Karas, speaking for the Ontario Bar Association spokesman.
The Immigration and Refugee board has long been a "dumping ground for political appointees and has been for decades," said CTV´s Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife.
"The way around this, critics say, is to appoint lawyers and specialists in immigration law and give them the same kind of tenure as federal judges."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper did promise during the election campaign to end political patronage, noted Fife. But "now, he´s in government and everybody´s waiting for appointments -- and he´s starting to give a lot of political appointments to Tory friends."
[24-06-2008,15:30]
[***.50.205.242]
Mike |
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(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
Mike
IRB member Steve Ellis was the only IRB member in Toronto that stood up to the powers to be and said that counsel should go first to present their clients case as to whether or not they had a well founded fear of persecution.
When the IRB switched common law principles and said the IRB Member or RPO Refugee Protection Officer would present their case first it through Canada´s whole refugee process into the garbage can just so they could speed up the process.
If your charged with a crimminal offence the Crown has to prove their case that the crime was committed by the person charged. YOU HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO PROVE THAT YOUR INNOCENT!
When the Immigration Division alleges that you violated the Immigration Act it is their obligation to prove that you violated. YOU HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO PROVE THAT YOUR INNOCENT!
By the time it gets to counsels turn the damage is done and all that counsel can do is apply bandage solutions.
The whole issue of whom should proceed first is before the Federal Courts and every single Refugee Hearing may have to be done over again.
Mr. Ellis is innocent until proven guilty in my Canada.
Roy
[25-06-2008,10:16]
[**.52.216.247]
Roy |
(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
Everybody is innocent until proven guilty, Roy, it is not only in my Canada or your Canada. However, as you mentioned in my previous post That CIC officers take bribes then who knows the truth about Mr. Ellis that he is innocent or not. Canadian law is fragile and has double standards. I have lived in USA for many years and to be honest with you i felt more secure in USA than in Canada. Laws in USA are fool proof and you can fight for your rights in real, i am sorry but i do not see this in Canada.
[25-06-2008,11:51]
[***.50.205.242]
Mike |
(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
Mike and All
It is a matter for the courts to decide.
Mike I´m truly sorry that you think the American Legal system is superior to Canada.
I loved taking the middle of the day off for weeks to watch the O.J. Simpson trial. The glove didn´t fit so you must acquit. LOVED THAT LINE.
The DA should never have asked a question they did not know the answer for or couldn´t follow up with another question. Being over confident is silly. So now the great American Legal system acquits OJ then he gets sued in a wrongful death suit and can´t afford a shirt now.
Now was he guilty or not is not the issue he was found innocent.
NYC cops shoots a groom how many times???? Not Guilty
Mike I can go on for years.
Focus on the issue at hand. The issue is that someone made a refugee claim from South Korea. South Korea a hotbed of torture, persecution, no human rights, political groups being persecuted, etc.. South not North Korea.
Now did the South Korean Lady (term used loosely) and her boyfriend who could of sponsored her set this whole thing up. Did some man starting to feel his age not think why this woman was implying she was sexually interested in him? This poor little innocent South Korean female had to have done something or they would have never met in the coffee shop, CORRECT!
Did the South Korean Lady have a representative during the hearing?
What was the refugee claim about, her being a sex slave etc.?
Did the South Korean Lady represent herself in a IRB hearing with no one else in the room?
Did the South Korean Lady entrap the IRB member?
It will all come out in court!
See in the USA entrapment is illegal but not in Canada.
Should entrapment be illegal in Canada?
If Mr. Ellis did what is implied he is wrong but the little innocent South Korean lady (term used loosely) is not sooooo innocent in my book.
Roy
www.cvimmigration.com
[25-06-2008,12:44]
[**.158.57.200]
Roy |
(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
well, can´t say any thing about the topic because i dont much of details. I found this article online and i wanted to share this and thats it. By the way, i do not have the contract or retainer agreement but that lawyer did send me a statement of account which is the proof that i paid her the money and what services i received. I recetnly found out that i can contact the assessment centre for a review of bill and if assessment officer feels that i was not billed properly, he/she can reduce the bill and get me a refund. I do not want trouble for nothing but i can elet people exploit my situation so that they dont do this in future with others. So i shall call that lawyer in an Assess ment Centre atleast onnce. And i shall respect the decision of assessment officer.
[25-06-2008,18:07]
[***.50.205.242]
Mike |
(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
Mike, you said you did not have any documentation. now you have a statement of account. I am confused. Perhaps you thought your $1,000 was going to get you more than you actually got?
A lawyer is not going to ruin their reputation over $1,000. If they did anything that could add up to 2-3 hours of work... you got what you paid for.
[25-06-2008,20:37]
[***.20.92.250]
Sharon |
(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
Sharon, i said i did not sign any agreement, i did not say i do not have any document to prove; she sent me statement of account today stating why she is not giving me a refund. The catch in all the story is that i was promised a return verbally and through e-mail messages. And now they simply refused to pay and sent me a statement of account showing several services that i never received. Anyways, i have found a solution and the solution is given to me by law society. They told me to contact assessment centre to review the statement and then we both will appear before the judge who will review the statement and if finds out that i am charged extra, judge will order the lawyer to pay me the money, which is fair enough.
[25-06-2008,21:49]
[**.251.66.96]
Mike |
(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
so, the lawyer has actually done some work for the $1,000 you gave them. How much do you think you will get back - $100-$200? How will you prove you did not get the services that you claim?
Just trying to prepare you for what may likely happen.
[26-06-2008,03:59]
[**.155.160.37]
Sharon |
(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
Mike what you should do is focus on the statement you made.
?she claims that she has very close relations with CIC officers and she even proved it?
That alone must be a violation depending on whether or not you can prove the scenario.
Why on earth would any Lawyer take the time to WOW any potential client with their connections?
I have placed calls to CIC & CBSA staff to get clarifications on policy infront of potential clients or to the call centre 1-888-242-2100. Some times potential clients heard from Uncle LUIGI etc that their is another way to do somehing.
When I worked for CIC any staff member who was a little too friendly with representatives always got Investigated. After leaving I heard that the ones that put on the strict show may have been a little bent but no details.
Mike if I said it once I said it a hundred times (IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE - RUN) In only a couple of days (?Credit card was charged few days ago.?) for what ever reason you want your money back and your worried if Legal Counsel can do harm to your Fathers file. A few days and the WOW factor is gone, I guess you have to understand that you and your Father are in the same line up with thousands of others.
If you would of watched my last video from my site you would see me talking about the Chen family who has been waiting for five years from Scarborough CIC to assess their H&C application.
Complete a IMM 5476 Use of Representative form and on page two of the form remove the Lawyer from any access to your Father´s file.
Roy
www.cvimmigration.com
[26-06-2008,09:19]
[**.52.216.59]
Roy |
(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
I am expecting more than 500 dollars in refund and the problem is not the refund only, the problem is the exploitation. I can not take exploitation. When a refund was promised, i should be getting a refund whether it is 5 dollars or 10 dollars, instead you are askling me more money which is totally unprofessional. And you are mentioning the services that i never received. Like meeting with this associate, that associate and i never met those people. She is also charging me for the e-mails she sent to me through which she confirms that she is my lawyer now. So she is charging me 100 dollars for a an e-mail message that she sent to me. And i replied to e-mail saying thank you for the information and she charged me 70 dollars to read that mail in which i said thank you. Imagine, what kind of crook they are.
[26-06-2008,13:53]
[***.50.205.242]
Mike |
(in reply to: Refugee judge charged with breach of trust)
all lawyers I deal with charge for emails, phone calls, nose blowing and farting.
Did you not ask what the charge out rates would be and how far your $1,000 would go?
[27-06-2008,03:01]
[**.155.160.37]
Sharon |
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