Canadian-owned firm sold armoured vehicles to Sudan despite export ban, 5 September 2010

A Canadian-owned company has sold 30 armoured vehicles to Sudan, newly obtained documents show, despite Canadian regulations that ban the export of military and paramilitary equipment to the war-torn country.

Because of Sudan’s violent crackdown in Darfur, Canada imposed sanctions more than a decade ago that prohibit Canadian citizens from selling “arms and related material” to anyone in Sudan. Its definition of this material includes “military and paramilitary equipment.”

The documents, United Arab Emirates export permits obtained by The Globe and Mail, indicate that the Typhoon armoured trucks were exported to Sudan by Streit Security Vehicles, which is part of Streit Group, owned by Canadian businessman Guerman Goutorov...

A spokesman for Streit Group would not comment on the Sudan sale. But when asked about a similar sale in South Sudan, the company insisted its vehicles are not military vehicles and are not exported with any form of weaponry….

The Globe reported in April that a United Nations panel accused Streit Group of violating an international arms embargo on Libya in 2012 by selling armoured vehicles to that country without obtaining advance approval from a UN sanctions committee. In July, The Globe reported that Streit Group sold more than 170 armoured vehicles to South Sudan, where some of the vehicles were used in the brutal civil war there...

The Canadian government has regulations to control the export of military equipment, but it has argued that it only regulates exports that originate in Canada, not in overseas factories. This is a loophole that allows Canadian companies to “get around” the regulations by setting up foreign factories... Canada announced in June that it will officially join the Arms Trade Treaty by 2017.