Inquiry about Mahmoud Reza Khavari - Head of BMI

The Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C. M.P.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1

We are writing to express our grave concern with the arrival of Mr. Mahmoud Reza Khavari to Canada. As you are aware, until very recently Mr. Khavari served in the highest reaches of the Islamic Republic of Iran by serving as Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of Iranâs largest state-owned financial institution, the Bank Melli. More recently, Mr. Khavari was identified as one of the principal figures at the centre of the largest financial embezzlement in Iranian history,

Mr. Khavariâs arrival to Canada has received extensive coverage in various Canadian and international newspapers. Most accounts identify Mr. Khavari as a dual Iranian-Canadian citizen. Moreover, Toronto property records reveal that Mr. Khavari is the registered owner of real estate on 222 Elmwood Avenue obtained for $ 625,000 in 2001 and of property located at 22 Suncrest Drive in the Bridle Path neighbourhood which was obtained for $2.925 million in 2007.

For years members of the Iranian-Canadian community have been concerned that high ranking members of the Islamic Republic of Iran and their relatives are securing residency status in Canada and funnelling their investments to this country. Our expressions of concern to various Members of Parliament are seldom given their proper due, and are generally dismissed with mere suggestions that we proceed to inform Canadian authorities of any individuals with ties to the Government of the Islamic Republic.

Many law abiding Iranians face great difficulty securing visas to visit their relatives in Canada. Moreover, Iranians face restrictions on transferring money out of the country given sanctions imposed by the international community. As such, you can appreciate how appalled we are to hear that Mr. Khavari has slipped into Canada with evident ease and faced no difficulties transferring his ill-gotten gains to Canada.
In light of Mr. Khavariâs long-standing ties to the political organs of the Islamic Republic, we are skeptical that he duly complied with residency requirements to obtain Canadian citizenship. Apart from our reasonable apprehension that Mr. Khavari misled Canadian authorities, we firmly believe that in his capacity as the key financier of the Islamic Republic he has been complicit in numerous odious activities. The wanton disregard of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the most elemental rights of its citizens is well known. Moreover, as you are aware, the Bank Melli has been among the financial institutions sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department since 2007. The Bank Melli is believed to have been involved in the transfer of funds to various terrorist organizations.
Given these considerations, we ask that the Canadian Government immediately initiate a full investigation to consider whether Mr. Khavari has complied with Canadian rules and regulations. In particular, we request that as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration you utilize legislation introduced in 2010 to streamline the citizenship revocation process to better protect the values of Canadian citizenship. When amending the Citizenship Act you aptly declared that âCanadian citizenship is more than a legal status, more than a passport,â and that âWe expect citizens to have an ongoing commitment, connection and loyalty to Canada.â The centre piece of the amedments made to the Citizenship Act pursuant to Bill C 37 is that the Minister of Immigration may exercise his discretion to initiate a revocation process if evidence exists that an individual made a false representation, committed fraud or concealed material circumstances to acquire Canadian citizenship or permaenent residence.

Turning a blind eye or failure to act by the Canadian Government with respect to Mr. Kharavi would send a signal to other high ranking members and Government functionaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran that Canada represents a safe haven to which they may escape with impunity. Moreover, a display of moral clarity and vigilance by the Canadian Government will deter international figures with sullied associations from arriving on our shores.

cc, Prime Minister Stephen Harper