2019 AGM Committee has published the Summary Report, dated October 16th, 2020, regarding the verification of the ICC Member Registry as of December 9, 2018

Link: Verification of ICC Member Registry as of December 9, 2018

Dear ICC members,

In the interests of transparency, we are communicating to you that the ICC has been served a legal motion by applicants Babak Payami, Kamnoosh Shahabi, Mehrdokht Hadi, and Shayan Moin ("Payami et al."). You may find the full motion at this link. Because the motion is nearly 192 pages, we have extracted two of the demands of the motion, regarding the removal of directors and stopping the upcoming SGM, respectively, below:

7. An order pursuant to section 332 of the Corporations Act, R.S.O. 1990 (“Act”) removing the Directors and an order appointing an interim board of directors (“Interim Board”) until the 2019 ICC Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) and election have been held

12. An order for an interim/interlocutory injunction restraining the ICC or any person acting on its behalf or at its direction from holding the Special General Meeting ("SGM") currently scheduled for October 31st, 2020, from introducing any motions with respect to the "future of the organization" or from making an assignment into bankruptcy pending a final determination by this Honourable Court of the matters at hand

We will keep you posted as further developments occur.

Sincerely,

Board of Directors,

Iranian Canadian Congress

Dear ICC Members, 

Further to our previous communications regarding the financial status of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) and in advance of the ICC's Information session on October 18th, 2020, please find below links to the ICC's draft financial statements for the years 2018, 2019, and 2020: 

Draft financial statement -- 2020 (Year to Date -- ending September 30th)

Draft financial statement -- 2019

Draft financial statement -- 2018

Please note that these financial statements are still drafts created in the interests of transparency and may not represent the final versions of the financial statements for the respective years in question. 

We would also like to note that the ICC is holding a Special General Meeting (SGM) on October 31st, 2020. We recommend that all members attend both the information session and the SGM. 

You may also find the minutes of the ICC Board of Directors' meetings at this link. 

Sincerely, 

Board of Directors

Iranian Canadian Congress

Dear Member of the Iranian Canadian Congress: 

The Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) will hold a Special General Meeting of Shareholders on October 31^st, 2020 beginning at 4:00 PM., Eastern Standard Time, via Zoom web-conferencing (videoconference link to follow). We look forward to your attendance. 

This special meeting has been called for the purpose of discussing and deciding with our members the future of the ICC in the context of the considerable financial obligations that the Corporation has due to the ongoing settlement around the 2019 AGM and the coronavirus pandemic. Per Article 6 (General Meetings) of the Bylaws of the ICC, this is a 30-day notice of this meeting.  

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we would like to express our appreciation for your continued interest in the ICC. The Notice is enclosed.

NOTICE:

To Members: 

A Special General Meeting of Members of the IRANIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS will be held on October 31^st, 2020 beginning at 4:00 PM., Eastern Standard Time, via Zoom web-conferencing (link to the meeting forthcoming), in order to: 

1. Discuss and decide with our members the future of the ICC in the context of the considerable financial obligations that the Corporation has due to the ongoing settlement around the 2019 AGM and the coronavirus pandemic. 

2. Conduct such other business as may properly come before the meeting and at any adjournment or postponement of the meeting. 

Sincerely, 

Board of Directors

For further information on the settlement, please visit this page.

Dear Members of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC),

As you may or may not be aware, the ICC is in a difficult financial position. This is both due to an ongoing legal case that the ICC is facing and because of the limitations on fundraising imposed on all organizations by the coronavirus pandemic.  

In the coming days, you will receive a detailed breakdown of the financial obligations and status of the organization. The ICC is also holding an information session for the purposes of communicating this information with the membership and to fundraise to meet these obligations on October 18^th, 2020 at 6:00 PM. Please stay tuned for an email containing the financial status and web-conferencing information so that you can inform yourself as well as attend this meeting.

Further, please be advised that the Board of Directors has decided to call a Special General Meeting pursuant to Article 6 of the By-Laws to determine the future of the organization with members of the ICC. This Meeting will be held by web-conference and is scheduled for October 31^st, 2020 at 4:00PM Eastern Standard Time. We strongly encourage all members to attend.

Sincerely,

Board of Directors,

Iranian Canadian Congress

Please see the posted court orders on the page linked below, especially the Sep 14, 2020 order of Justice Hainey pertinent to the 2019 AGM and Election which will be held on Sunday Dec. 13, 2020, online. 

2019 AGM and Election Page

Once again, the Trump administration has targeted the rules-based international order with unilateral actions that are contrary to international norms. The Trump administration has unilaterally announced that all UN Security Council resolutions against Iran, waived after the signing of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), have been reimposed.  

All other UN Security Council members including Canada’s European allies (UK, France and Germany) have spoken against this interpretation of the Trump administration and have declared that resolution 2231 is still in effect and international sanctions are not reimposed. 

In the past four years, the Trump administration has demonstrated its disregard for multilateralism and the rules-based order. Trump’s latest actions in the Security Council can not only further exacerbate the tensions with Iran leading to another catastrophic military conflict but also destroy the legitimacy of the United Nations and the Security Council. 

Canada rightly supported the nuclear deal with Iran, lifted its sanctions in compliance with UNSC resolution 2231 and provided assistance to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct inspections that are part of the agreement with Iran. 

Therefore, we call on the Trudeau government to support the efforts of Canada’s European allies to preserve the non-proliferation agreement with Iran and to encourage all parties to engage in diplomatic negotiations to end devastating sanctions on the Iranian people. 

Moreover, Iran is one of the most severely impacted countries with the global pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre, as of today over 422 thousand people in the country have been infected with COVID-19 and over 24,300 Iranians have lost their lives. According to credible reports by international organizations and UN investigators, the US sanctions have severely impacted Iran’s ability to fight the pandemic. We call on the Trudeau government to use all diplomatic means and international platforms to ensure that Iranian people can access medicine and medical equipment at this crucial time.

TO:

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Honourable David Lametti,

Minister of Public Safety Honourable Bill Blair,

Minister of National Revenue Honourable Diane Lebouthillier,

On behalf of the Iranian Canadian Congress, I would like to express our extreme concern about the cases of individuals charged with corruption and embezzlement in Iran who flee to Canada.

Mahmoud Reza Khavari was a former Iranian banker who fled to Canada after a massive $2.6 billion financial fraud came to light in 2011. In December 2017, Khavari was sentenced to 30 years in prison and Interpol issued a warrant for him. Last year, we also informed you about the case of Marjan Sheikholeslami Aleagha, who is being indicted in Iran in a massive $10 billion corruption case and has invested in properties and started businesses in Canada. 

In recent days there have been multiple reports about several other individuals charged in corruption cases in Iran who have fled to Canada and transferred millions of dollars of the money they have made through embezzlement and bribery to this country. While the Iranian Canadian Congress cannot independently verify the details of these reports our preliminary investigation shows that the following individuals with ties to Canada must be added to the list:

- Ali Ashraf Riahi: Charged in a petrochemical corruption case. LINK

- Jalil Sobhani: Charged in a corruption and bribery case involving the former deputy of the Iranian judiciary LINK

- Omid Assadbeigi: Charged in a corruption and bribery case. In a recent letter, the workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industrial Complex directly appealed to Canadians to investigate and return millions of dollars in corruption money that he has allegedly transferred to Canada. LINK

Our community and the Iranian Canadian Congress have raised concerns about these cases on several occasions both during the former government of Prime Minister Harper and during the time of the current Liberal government. However, Iranian-Canadians have never received any response, nor has the government taken any action on this issue. 

While these individuals have been able to move to Canada and invest their money freely, many ordinary Iranian-Canadians have been unfairly singled out in the immigration process and have been subject to banking restrictions because of their nationality and country of origin. Indeed, the community is aware of cases of Iranian international students whose bank accounts were closed with only a few hundred dollars in them.

The inaction of the Canadian government on these cases has allowed individuals who have enriched themselves from corruption to evade justice while innocent Iranian-Canadians have to deal with the suspicions that are levied against the whole community because of the actions of these corrupt individuals.

As such, we call on the Canadian government and the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Public Safety and the Minister of National Revenue to immediately launch investigations through responsible agencies about the cases of individuals mentioned in this letter using the full power of the Canadian law including but not limited to anti-money laundering laws. The Iranian Canadian Congress is ready to provide more information and support the Canadian government. 

Our government and law enforcement agencies must prevent Canada from becoming a haven for corrupt money. It is important to emphasize that money laundering in Canada is a significant challenge and it is not limited to the Iranian community. Our government must act now.

Sincerely,