More Desperate Dictator Housewives - Episode 5 - Is Leila's Brother on the run in Canada?

Belhassen Trabelsi: 'What's this all aboot, eh?'

The saga continues. The last time I left you, the Ben Ali family had fled Tunisia Lane with Leila having pocketed 1.5 tonnes of gold in the process. In today's episode, Leila Ben Ali's brother, stud muffin Belhassen is reported to be with his family hauled up in a ritzy hotel in Quebec, Canada. Well, at least they can speak French. As the BBC reports, Canada has revoked Mr Trabelsi's residency permit and has moved to seize the billionaire's Canadian assets. So when did he get Canadian residency then?

Mr Trabelsi and his family reportedly arrived in Montreal on a private jet last week after Mr Ben Ali was ousted. Officials at the Tunisian embassy in Ottawa have asked Canada to arrest and extradite Mr Trabelsi. The Canadian government have made it quite clear and very public through the media that they will comply with this request from Tunisia Lane.

It is believed Mr Trabelsi and his family fled the Chateau Vaudreuil Suites Hotel (the dump pictured above) in Montreal on Thursday, and their whereabouts remain unknown. He and his family could very well be doing a 'Thelma and Louise' type rampage through the backwoods of Quebec for all we know, so here's a picture of the guy just in case you've seen him.
By the way, he, the former president and other close relatives of his are now wanted by Interpol. So Saudi Arabia... will you follow through?

All this has answered some and posed new questions. First of all, despite the rumours Yasser Arafat's widow Suha is definitely not married to Belhassen. Second, how come and for how long has Belhassen had Canadian residency? The bigger question though is how come only NOW that the Ben Alis are now being called to question by international justice for their crimes? They have been plundering Tunisia for 23 years but until recently, namely when WikiLeaks released secret US State Department cables just over a month ago detailing the corrupt practices of the ruling Ben Ali and Trabelsi families did many people beyond the Arab World became aware of their excesses. Now that they have been toppled, the World is feeling mighty proud of itself that it is chasing these people for their crimes. But where was the West before? These crimes have been going on for decades but only now, after they've been kicked in the teeth by the Tunisian population is the West doing anything about it. I mean, Canada had even gave Belhassen residency! The likes of the Ben Alis and the Trabelsis have been able to get away with robbing Tunisia and its people of its wealth, prosperity and opportunity thanks mainly to the West's support and ignorance. This is a fact not lost on the Arab World and in other parts of the world where many of the desperate dictators and their housewives rule. No wonder the USA is worried about what is happening in Egypt... thanks to the work of their embassy staff, as evidenced from WikiLeaks, the USA and the West is aware of the consequences their bad and hypocritical support of dictatorships will have. And to take the disgusting level even lower, thanks yet again to WikiLeaks, we know that the West has been fully aware of the level of crimes being committed by dictatorial cliques such as the one formerly ruling Tunisia. Still, the West supported (and still supports) them just like they have Egypt, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan... the list goes on. Retribution will be meeked not just on the corrupt rulers but also on the signs of power that kept whole populations living in repression and poverty. That means the West, especially the US government will have to face the music too, and believe me, it won't be pretty.

As always, stay tuned for more developments...