Secret evidence in use in Canada's courts against Egyptian suspect
Egypt, Local, 3/12/2002

"The lawyer for a suspected Egyptian terrorist facing deportation walked out of a Federal Court hearing yesterday after describing the proceeding against his client as a sham," Toronto's National Post report today.

"Rocco Galati said he could not uphold his oath as a lawyer while representing Mahmoud Jaballah because of the inherent unfairness of the hearing under Section 40.1 of the Immigration Act," the report said.

After a brief statement in front of Justice Andrew MacKay, Galati left the courtroom.

Toronto Islamic school principal Jaballah is being accused again by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service of having links to Egyptian extremists and al-Qaida supporters, the report said.

A previous court ruling said there "were not reasonable grounds to believe that Jaballah was a risk to national security," National Post reported.

Section 40.1, permits the presentation of secret evidence in a hearing that is closed even to the defendant and his lawyer.

Because of the secret evidence process, the lawyer is withdrawing from this trial. as "I want to make it clear to the government that we, as lawyers, are officers of the court, not court jesters for CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service)," Galati said yesterday, National Post said.

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