Call for tighter bail rules after Saudi sex-crime suspect vanishes
HALIFAX — Mohammed Zuraibi Alzoabi may have hoped to quietly disappear from his sexual assault trial in Cape Breton, never to be seen or heard from again in Canada.
Instead, the 28-year-old man is attracting national attention from lawyers and advocates for sex-crime victims who are arguing measures must be taken to prevent this kind of escape from justice procedures.
In addition, there’s pressure emerging on Ottawa to officially investigate what role the Saudi embassy played in his disappearance — just the latest in what appears to be a series of mysterious departures by Saudis accused of serious crimes in North America.
Little is known of Alzoabi’s whereabouts, other than a brief note from a sheriff on Dec. 8 citing his lawyer saying he “fled the country sometime ago.”