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MONTREAL — As his opulent homes in Tunisia were ransacked during the 2011 uprising against his brother-in-law’s corrupt regime, Belhassen Trabelsi and his family fled by boat and eventually sought refuge in Canada.

But the Immigration and Refugee Board has ruled that Mr. Trabelsi’s role in the corruption that drew the wrath of Tunisian mobs four years ago disqualifies him from remaining in Canada.

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In a decision made public Monday, IRB member Haig Basmajian concluded there was sufficient evidence that Mr. Trabelsi had accepted hefty bribes to help foreign companies land government contracts in Tunisia. There are “serious reasons” for considering that Mr. Trabelsi “committed serious non-political crimes, specifically fraud on the government, fraud and laundering proceeds of crime,” Mr. Basmajian wrote.

Under Canadian law, people who have committed such non-political crimes prior to their entry are ineligible for refugee protection.