CANADIAN REQUEST FOR SWISS ASSISTANCE IN RCMP AIRBUS INVESTIGATION

OTTAWA, November 20, 1995 -- The Department of Justice is issuing this statement in response to questions raised about the process followed by the Department in assisting the RCMP Airbus investigation.

The RCMP asked the Department of Justice to seek the assistance of the Swiss Government in its investigation. The Department of Justice did so through a letter of request. A letter of request is an investigative tool used to obtain information from another country that may be helpful in the investigation. It explains to the foreign state what is being investigated, the allegations, the information available to date and the assistance being sought.

The request is made in confidence and is only disclosed to the extent necessary to carry it out. This is because it is an investigation only. No charges have been laid. The very purpose of the investigation is to determine whether evidence exists to support any allegations of wrongdoing.

A unit in the Department of Justice called the International Assistance Group (IAG) receives and sends out requests for assistance from the police. They review the request and make sure it complies with the requirements of the foreign state. As many as 100 to 150 such requests are made each year from various police agencies across the country. The Minister is not informed of these requests and was not made aware of the request in this case.

This particular request was processed in the normal fashion and was formally presented by a diplomatic official to Swiss Central Authorities. Many such requests have been made to Swiss Authorities and they have always respected the requirement for confidentiality.

This is the process that has been followed in this matter.

Ref.:  Irène Arseneau          Linda Gobeil
       Department of Justice   Executive Assistant to the
       (613) 957-4207          Deputy Minister of Justice
                               (613) 954-7809