by Mathieu Rosemain
PARIS, July 26 (Reuters) – France has received a request from Canada for the extradition of retired priest Johannes Rivoire, 93, to face justice on charges of sexual abuse. when he officiated in a Canadian province, a French diplomatic source said on Tuesday.
“An extradition request concerning Mr. Johannes Rivoire has been transmitted to France by the Canadian judicial authorities”, said the source.
This request is being examined by the French Minister of Justice, who has requested additional information, she added.
It has not been possible to determine what information Paris requested, or when Ottawa made this request.
No comment could be immediately obtained from the Canadian Minister of Justice, who had refused in the past to indicate whether he had forwarded an extradition request for Johannes Rivoire to France, citing the confidentiality of such a step.
The treaty on extraditions signed by France and Canada stipulates that neither country is forced to extradite its nationals.
Johannes Rivoire, who lives in Lyon, is accused of sexual abuse between 1974 and 1979 by a woman who was then a teenager. (Report Mathieu Rosemain Paris and Steve Scherer Ottawa; French version Jean Terzian)