Lebanon prosecutor mulls Canadian farmer case

Nearly seven weeks after his detention, a Lebanese prosecutor is now mulling over the case of a Canadian farmer alleged to have exported rotten potatoes to Algeria.

Farmer Henk Tepper, from New Brunswick, Canada, was detained in Lebanon on March 23 after an Interpol “red notice” was issued over charges that some potatoes he exported to Algeria in 2007 were rotten.

The Algerian government called for his detainment for the alleged use of a forged document that cleared rotten food fit for human consumption, according to his lawyer. Tepper's lawyer denies the allegation.

A judicial source said Thursday that State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza, who had requested access to Tepper’s folder from the Algerian government, only received the official documents four days ago.

“Mirza is studying the case and, depending on the offense, he will decide in the coming few days whether to release Tepper or deport him to Algeria,” the source told The Daily Star.

The source said the 44-year-old farmer has been living in a jail cell at the Beirut Justice Palace since his arrest in March on an international warrant.

Tepper’s family Wednesday appealed to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to intervene and bring the farmer home.

According to the Canadian press, Tepper was in Lebanon for an agricultural trade mission. His family-owned Tobique Farms is one of the largest potato producers in New Brunswick, exporting to Cuba, Venezuela, Lebanon and Algeria.

His 71-year-old father has taken to tending the potato fields in Tepper’s absence.