Published On Mon Aug 02 2010
A Canadian teen who has been stuck in Cuba for three months hit another
roadblock Monday after learning there are still restrictions on his
passport that bar him from leaving the country.
Cody LeCompte, a 19-year-old from Norfolk County, tried to book his trip
home to Canada on Monday after Cuban officials told him last week that
he could go home.
But when a travel agent tried to purchase the ticket, the LeCompte
family was told they still had many bureaucratic obstacles to overcome.
"Cody is absolutely devastated," Danette LeCompte said from Santa Lucia,
where she has been trying to secure her son's release. "He was so
looking forward to going home."
Prohibited from leaving the country since getting into a car accident in
April, Cuban police let LeCompte's family post bail last week on the
condition he return for a trial.
The family obliged, and paid the 2,000 Cuban pesos ($100 Canadian).
LeCompte's uncle, Gary Parmenter, was told by an official at the
Canadian embassy in Havana Monday morning the prosecution had signed off
on the agreement and that Cuba's immigration department just needed to
lift a ban on his passport, which was expected to have been done.
But later in the afternoon, when LeCompte tried to book his trip with a
travel agent in Canada, the teen learned he still wasn't free to go.
Parmenter said a Cuban lawyer explained that in addition to the bail
conditions being approved, a document clearing the passport also needs
to be signed by Cuba's foreign affairs department.
After that happens, the Cuban immigration department must conduct a
review and sign off, Parmenter said, adding there is no assurance that
will happen.
"We've gone through a roller coster ride for three months," Danette
LeCompte said. "It's just another delay on top of everything we've been
through."
It's unclear how long it will take for the approvals to come through,
she said, adding "the problem with Cuba is that you don't get timelines
for anything."
The ordeal began April 29 when the rental car LeCompte was driving was
side-swiped by a pickup truck. The accident sent him, his mother, his
uncle and his uncle's Cuban fiancé to hospital. All have recovered from
their injuries.
All accidents resulting in death or injury in Cuba are treated as
possible crimes and LeCompte was ordered to remain in the country until
the case was resolved.
The family says the situation has cost them $30,000.
Last week, Peter Kent, junior foreign affairs minister, expressed
concern that the investigation was taking too long. He said "the delay
faced by Canadians awaiting resolution of such cases could affect fellow
Canadians' choice of Cuba as a tourist destination."
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, 108 Canadians have been
arrested or detained in Cuba since 2006; about 10 per cent of the cases
are vehicle-related.
About one million Canadians visited Cuba last year.
Although LeCompte expects to eventually leave Cuba, he will have to
return for his trial, which will determine if he faces any charges. If
found guilty, LeCompte has been told he could face time in a Cuban prison.
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