Andre Gauthier

André Gauthier already spent 18 months in detention in the UAE for a fraud his lawyer says he uncovered

The lawyer of a Saguenay man detained in Oman says her client is being scapegoated for a $30-million fraud he did not commit. André Gauthier, 65, was detained three months ago, when he tried to get his Canadian passport renewed.

His legal representative, Radha Stirling, says authorities in Oman now want to extradite him to the United Arab Emirates, where he could face imprisonment. "He could potentially spend the rest of his life in prison. He's a 65-year-old man,"

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"Evidence is not required to secure a conviction in the UAE, it can simply be someone's word that is sufficient to have someone detained and convicted," she said.