A British Columbia businesswoman is suing the Canadian government for $21 million after she says she was falsely accused of being a terrorist and selling illegal military technology to China.
Perienne de Jaray says she's essentially unemployable after being charged in 2010 with exporting controlled goods in connection with a shipment of computer chips and circuit boards that were destined for Hong Kong.
De Jaray managed the U.S. operation of her father's B.C.-based electronic company, Apex Microsystems.
The charges against both de Jaray and her father, Steve de Jaray, were eventually stayed after lawyers concluded that the computer chips and circuit boards were not controlled goods and did not meet the definition of military grade.
Lawyers for the family also noted that the devices the de Jarays were charged for exporting were already available in China.
However, the family’s $30-million a year business was destroyed.
Steve de Jaray sued the Canadian government for $17 million, and he was eventually paid a confidential settlement.
"What I can tell you is that I received the second-largest settlement in Canadian history,” Steve de Jaray told W5 in a 2015 interview.
Perienne de Jaray, meanwhile, has never received any compensation.
With her arrest forever cited on online, she said her chances of landing a job have been shattered.
"I don't believe that this can, or should, happen to innocent people who have their whole life in front of them," de Jaray said.
Her lawyer, Janic Puracal, said de Jaray has lost all prospects for future employment.
"There is nothing worse than being called a terrorist," he told CTV News.
Canada's Attorney General, Canada Border Service Agency and Global Affairs Canada are all listed in de Jaray’s lawsuit.
Ottawa is saying very little about the case, but in a written statement to CTV News a spokesperson said the details of the case are being reviewed.
With a report by CTV’s British Columbia Bureau Chief Melanie Nagy
