Brother-in-law of ousted dictator seeks refugee status in Canada

Belhassen Trabelsi, the billionaire brother-in-law of ousted Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, is claiming refugee status in Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Saturday.

Trabelsi's formal claim means his case could be tied up in the courts for years. It will also hamper Canadian efforts to remove Trabelsi from the country.

Trabelsi fled to the Montreal area with his family after Ben Ali was ousted in a popular uprising on Jan. 14,

Cannon said the Trabelsi family was not welcome in Canada but he is entitled to make his case.

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  Security personnel guard the entrance to the Chateau Vaudreuil Hotel in Vaudreuil, west of Montreal, Thursday, January 27, 2011, where Belhassen Trabelsi is believed to be staying. (The CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)