Potato Farmer Henk Tepper released from Lebanese jail

A Senator says New Brunswick farmer Henk Tepper has been released from a Lebanese jail after being held for a year on allegations he exported rotten potatoes to Algeria.

Senator Pierrette Ringuette says in a statement that Tepper is expected to arrive in Ottawa later Saturday and will be greeted by his family at the airport.

Tepper, who is from Drummond, N.B., has been in custody in Beirut since March 23 of last year on an international arrest warrant on allegations he exported rotten potatoes to Algeria in 2007 and forged export documents.

A source close to Tepper says an Interpol red notice issued by Algeria remains in effect. The notice says Tepper could face up to five years in prison if convicted of the allegations.

Since his arrest in Beirut, Tepper has been in a legal limbo because he was being held on the Interpol notice by the Lebanese government, which doesn't have an extradition treaty with Algeria

Algeria also alleges that Tepper, who is in his mid-40s, forged documents related to the export of potatoes from Quebec and Prince Edward Island.

Tepper's lawyers have denied all of the allegations, saying the potatoes were inspected in Canada before shipment and met Algerian standards.