The deportation of a Sri Lankan man who allegedly murdered his wife cost taxpayers over $17,000.
Sivaloganathan Thanabalasingham was deported on July 5 after escaping trial when a judge ruled his case had been held up by too many delays. He was the first person accused of murder in Quebec to escape criminal proceedings due a Supreme Court of Canada ruling stating judicial proceedings could not exceed 30 months in Superior Court.
Thanabalasingham’s trial was set to start 56 months after his arrest. He was almost immediately re-arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency after his release.
The deportation order was issued due his having pled guilty to a charge of armed aggression. He had also been arrested three times for domestic violence in the nine months before his wife’s death.
Several access to information requests concerning the cost of the deportation filed by The Canadian Press were declined by the CBSA, citing privacy laws, making it impossible to ascertain exactly how much the deportation cost.
