Potato farmer suing Canadian Government after year in Beirut jail

Henk Tepper, the New Brunswick potato farmer who spent over a year in a Beirut jail cell on allegations he shipped rotten potatoes to Algeria is suing the Canadian government, arguing it didn't protect his Charter rights.

In a statement of claim filed Monday with the Federal Court in Ottawa, Henk Tepper says the government didn't do enough to try to secure his freedom, and therefore his right to life, liberty and security of person were violated.

"The defendant blatantly disregarded the repeated requests of Tepper, his family members, his legal counsel and the Lebanese authorities for assistance in securing Tepper's release,"the lawsuit says. The lawsuit, which seeks $16.5 million in damages, also says the RCMP provided private information including the annual sales of Tepper's farm and value of his home to Algerian authorities in contravention of the Privacy Act.