A 31-year-old Sri Lankan man suspected of killing his wife in 2012 has been deported to his homeland where he will be a free man.
Sivaloganathan Thanabalasingham slipped through the Canadian justice system due to court delays; the murder case was dropped because it was taking too long to proceed under the Supreme Court’s Jordan ruling.
The Crown has appealed the case, saying he is responsible for the slaying of his 21-year-old wife, Anuja Baskaran after a history of domestic violence.
Thanabalasingham initially fought against deportation, but made an about-face when the Crown decided to fight the stay of proceedings. He later said he would not appeal a deportation order against him.
His plane to Sri Lanka took off Wednesday night from Trudeau airport. Once there, Thanabalasingham no longer has to worry about Canadian justice, because there is no extradition treaty between Sri Lanka and Canada.
Thanabalasingham spent five years in detention in Canada pending his trial.
The murder suspect could not initially be deported by the Immigration Review Board because of his status as a refugee. The IRB, however, was able to remove his protected status due to the serious charges against him.
The Crown tried to expedite the appeal process to keep Thanabalasingham in the country, but was unsuccessful.
A Crown spokesperson said Thursday it plans to go ahead with the appeal if only a matter of principle. Because there is no extradition treaty, he will not be returned to Canada to face justice.
Friday marks the one-year anniversary of the landmark Jordan ruling, a Supreme Court decision that enforces the right to a speedy trial. The Jordan ruling states that legal proceedings can't exceed 18 months in provincial court and 30 months in Superior Court.
