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A Mexican businessman accused in his country of money laundering was treated unfairly by the Canada Border Services Agency who considered him inadmissible to visit Canada, a federal judge says.

Justice Shirzad Ahmedof the Federal Court of Canadaruled that the CBSA officer who sent Sergio Antonio Reyes Garcia back to Mexico when he flew in to Vancouver on March 3, 2019, did not have the legal authority to declare the businessman inadmissible.

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Ahmed said the officer was within his rights to decide that Reyes Garcia had misrepresented information about the money laundering investigation when he first applied for an electronic travel authorization that would allow him repeated entry to Canada as a visitor.

But Ahmed sided with Reyes Garcia’s claim that he was denied due process by the CBSA.

“In my view, it was open to the officer to form his own opinion as to an alleged misrepresentation based on the interview and the applicant’s (electronic) application,” Ahmed said in a written ruling released Jan. 22.