Federal Court Decisions

Decision Information

Decision Content

     Date: 19991119

     Docket: IMM-474-99


Between:


IQBAL HOSSAIN


Applicant


- and -


THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION


Respondent




REASONS FOR ORDER


TREMBLAY-LAMER J.:


[1]      This is an application for judicial review of a decision of the Refugee Division that the applicant is not a Convention refugee.

[2]      The applicant is a citizen of Bangladesh. He alleges that he has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his political opinions.

[3]      The Refugee Division held that the applicant lacked credibility.

[4]      The panel based its finding on the applicant's ignorance of significant facts related to the basis of his claim, some contradictions and improbabilities emanating from his testimony, and his vague and evasive conduct during the hearing.

[5]      The applicant's counsel has failed to discharge the burden of showing that the panel's unfavourable decision was based on clearly erroneous findings of fact. Not only were a number of items of evidence contradictory, but the applicant testified in a vague way that raised questions about the truthfulness of his story.

[6]      As to whether the panel has a duty to confront a claimant in regard to an observed lack of credibility, the case law of this Court is explicit that the Refugee Division, in the circumstances, had no such obligation.1

[7]      In view of the standard of judicial review that is applicable to this case, the panel committed no error of fact or of law that would warrant the intervention of this Court.


[8]      For these reasons, the application for judicial review is dismissed.


     "Danièle Tremblay-Lamer"
     J.

MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC

November 19, 1999

Certified true translation

Martine Brunet, LL.B.



Federal Court of Canada
Trial Division

Date: 19991119
     Docket: IMM-474-99

Between:
IQBAL HOSSAIN
Applicant
AND
THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP
AND IMMIGRATION
Respondent








REASONS FOR ORDER




FEDERAL COURT OF CANADA

TRIAL DIVISION


NAMES OF COUNSEL AND SOLICITORS OF RECORD


DOCKET NO:          IMM-474-99     
STYLE:              IQBAL HOSSAIN

Applicant

AND

                 THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP
                 AND IMMIGRATION

Respondent

PLACE OF HEARING:      Montréal, Quebec
DATE OF HEARING:      November 18, 1999

REASONS FOR ORDER OF TREMBLAY-LAMER J.

DATED:              November 19, 1999


APPEARANCES:

Jayne Davis                          for the Applicant

Caroline Doyon                      for the Respondent


SOLICITORS OF RECORD:

Jayne Davis                          for the Applicant

Montréal, Quebec

Deputy Attorney General of Canada              for the Respondent

Ottawa, Ontario

__________________

1 Danquah v. S.S.C. (November 17, 1994), IMM-105-94 (F.C.T.D.); Matarage v. Canada (M.C.I.) (April 9, 1998), IMM-1987-97 (F.C.T.D.); Ngongo v. Canada (M.C.I.) (October 25, 1999), IMM-6717-98 (F.C.T.D.).

 You are being directed to the most recent version of the statute which may not be the version considered at the time of the judgment.