CAT/C/48/D/343/2008
is ineffective. While it is discretionary from a technical point of view, the ministerial
decision must nevertheless be based on certain criteria and procedures. The discretion must
be exercised in conformity with the law, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and
the international obligations of Canada. An H&C application can be based on the risk of
torture in the country of return, and ministerial decisions can be reviewed by the Federal
Court. A negative decision by the Federal Court can be appealed before the Federal Court
of Appeal if the case raises an issue of general importance. A decision by the Federal Court
of Appeal can be appealed before the Supreme Court of Canada.
4.7
The State party contends that the complaint is manifestly unfounded and thus
inadmissible. The complainant’s allegations and the evidence he has provided to the
Committee are essentially the same as those submitted to the Canadian authorities. The
complainant was interviewed by the PRRA officer, who was able to make a personal
assessment of his credibility. The officer’s conclusions concerning the risk in the event of
return are appropriate and well-founded. The State party recalls the Committee’s
jurisprudence, according to which it is not its role to re-evaluate findings of fact and
credibility made by competent national authorities, unless it emerges that the assessment
was arbitrary or constituted a denial of justice. The documents submitted by the
complainant to the Committee do not show that the conclusions of the PRRA officer were
tainted by such irregularities. Therefore, there are no grounds on which the Committee
could consider it necessary to re-evaluate the findings of the Canadian authorities
concerning the facts and the complainant’s credibility.
4.8
The State party submits that the complainant lacks credibility for the following
reasons: (a) his account is contradictory as to the date on which he arrived in Canada for the
first time. On different occasions, he has claimed to have arrived in September 2002,
January 2003 and April 2003; (b) he also provided contradictory information as to his
identity, in particular his family name and his date of birth; (c) he provided false
information concerning, inter alia, his father’s political activities, persecution, arrest, torture
and death; (d) he provided false information to the United States immigration authorities,
which led to his arrest and sentencing to 30 months’ imprisonment; (e) upon release, he was
deported to Canada, where he initially denied having requested asylum in the past; and (f)
during the PRRA procedure, he provided contradictory information concerning the
treatment he allegedly suffered in 2002 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In
particular, he was unable to give details concerning the prison in which he had been
detained. He failed to clarify whether he had been released or whether he had escaped. He
contradicted himself with regard to the date on which he regained his freedom and the time
spent in Lumumbashi following his detention. He also provided contradictory information
to the PRRA officer concerning his father’s return to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
in 2006–2007. Following the interview, the PRRA officer asked the complainant to provide
certain documents. However, the documents he provided were deemed unsatisfactory. For
example, the photocopy of his father’s passport was illegible and did not show the dates of
his stay in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the complainant provided a copy of a
letter from UDPS, not the original requested by the officer.
4.9
With regard to the medical certificate provided by the complainant as evidence of
the torture suffered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the PRRA officer found it
inconclusive. He notes that there is little evidence of torture or abuse. The doctor indicates
that the complainant shows symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder but draws no
definitive conclusion. It was the complainant himself who claimed to have had suicidal and
depressive thoughts. The doctor does not explain what tests were used to diagnose posttraumatic stress disorder. While it is stated that the complainant has injuries consistent with
his allegations, there is no evidence that these injuries were inflicted during his detention in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The doctor does not explain the link between the
complainant’s angina and high blood pressure and his alleged torture. In view of the above,
GE.12-43835
7