A United Nations panel that monitors sanctions in Sudan has accused a Canadian company of deliberately skirting the long-standing arms embargo against that country with the 2012 sale of more than two dozen armoured vehicles, CBC News has learned.
A UN panel has accused Canadian company Streit Group of “knowingly” skirting an embargo against Sudan with a 2012 sale of armoured vehicles
The Global Affairs Department has purchased at least two vehicles from a Canadian company that’s been accused of violating sanctions in Sudan and Libya, CBC News has learned.
The $201,626 contract was a sole-source deal, approved by the former Conservative government on Feb. 7, 2013, and came at the same time as the U.S. Commerce Department was investigating the company’s American branch for selling retrofitted vehicles in multiple countries without proper licences.
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Three separate United Nations panels that investigate sanctions enforcement have criticized Streit for selling hundreds of armoured vehicles into war-torn countries, including Sudan, South Sudan and Libya.
The company has in the past denied wrongdoing, saying it has complied with all U.A.E. export laws and that export permits did not pass through its hands. Streit said it is not responsible for modifications made to its unarmed vehicles after they are in the hands of the buyer.
“We cannot influence this process, but any unapproved modifications made — including addition of weaponry — will invalidate the warranty,” the company told CBC News last month in response to questions over its activity in South Sudan.
Moscow put a hold on the report’s release last March, sources told CBC.
Russia and other nations demanded some details involving the Sudanese gold trade be redacted because they linked the industry to violence in Darfur.
Last month, Russia asked for an extension to the hold, but was turned down.
The report’s release now awaits the appointment of a new expert panel to oversee sanctions against Sudan. The old one was effectively dissolved after Russia refused to extend the contracts of its members.