A Gatineau man suspected of war crimes in Rwanda has lost his last chance to stay in Canada.

A federal judge has denied a review of a pre-removal risk assessment that recommends Henri Jean-Claude Seyoboka be deported to Rwanda.

The decision by Federal Court Judge Danièle Tremblay-Lamer concludes "it is now time for him to face his past actions, and let justice run its course."

Seyoboka, 49, is an employee at Canadian Tire in Aylmer, and has lived in Canada since 1996.

He attended military school in Kigali and remained part of the Rwandan armed forces while in university. In April 1994, he was made part of an artillery unit fighting the Rwandan Patriotic Front, and was later transferred to another unit and patrolled roadblocks.

The next month, Seyoboka deserted the army and fled to Zaire. He applied to immigrate to Canada in June 1994 to join his wife and son, who were already here.

In January 1995, Seyoboka obtained a fake passport, travelled to Toronto and claimed refugee status. However, he never disclosed his involvement in the Rwandan military in the refugee application process.

Legal trouble began in 1998

Seyoboka's legal trouble began in 1998, when following an interview with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), he disclosed his military past to Citizenship and Immigration officials.

Documents relating to Henri Jean-Claude Seyoboka's deportation case. (CBC) In 2002, the ICTR informed him that an anonymous witness testified that he murdered his neighbour and her two children after she refused to have sex with him at a roadblock.

He categorically denies the allegations, but admits he didn't reveal everything he was obliged to when he arrived in Canada more than two decades ago.

"In all the documents I submitted to (Citizenzhip and) Immigration, I didn't mention that I had been in the army. Yes, that's true. But that I committed crimes in Rwanda? That's not true," said Seyoboka.

Since 2006, he's been fighting to avoid deportation to Rwanda and get his refugee status restored.

A decision by the Federal Court casts doubt on Seyoboka's contention that he won't get a fair trial if he is returned to Rwanda.

'They will torture me'

"In the past few years, Rwanda has brought its justice system up to international standards and can safeguard Mr. Seyoboka's right to a fair trial in his country of origin should he be prosecuted," wrote Tremblay-Lamer in her judgement

With the failure of this last appeal, Seyoboka's future is in the hands of Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale.

Seyoboka says he has written a personal appeal to Goodale, but no one in the minister's office would confirm that appeal, citing confidentiality.

Though both Seyoboka's father and father-in-law were part of the Hutu political elite before the Rwandan genocide, and he is a relative of the Hutu president assassinated in 1994, the court rejected his claim that he would be personally at risk if returned to the country.

"They will torture me. There's no question they'll arrange a speedy trial. They'll probably kill me, too," said Seyoboka.