Money launderer Talal Fouani denies he attempted to flee country
Calgary businessman Talal Fouani said Sunday he has not attempted to flee the country and is committed to resolving his criminal charge of laundering crime proceeds.
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In a text to Postmedia, Fouani said suggestions he tried to leave Canada two weeks ago are false and he wants to clear his name.
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Crown prosecutor Shelley Tkatch was granted an application for a warrant for Fouani's arrest when he failed to attend a court appearance Friday. Tkatch also indicated she had unconfirmed information 'that he may have attempted to leave Canada two weeks ago.'
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Tkatch also told Justice Karim Jivraj that it was unusual for Fouani to miss a court date.
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'Normally, Mr. Fouani has been very diligent showing up for this matter,' she said.
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But Fouani said in his text to Postmedia it was simply an error on his part and he thought his next court date was in August, when he is scheduled to face a three-day sentencing hearing on the money laundering charge.
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'I want to clarify a serious misunderstanding regarding allegations that I have attempted to flee the country,' Fouani wrote.
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'I want to make it unequivocally clear that I have not, and do not have any intention of fleeing. And I would like to find out how this information came about.
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'Unfortunately, I missed a court date because I was under the mistaken impression that my next court date was Aug. 18. This was an honest mistake and not an attempt to avoid my obligations,' he said.
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'I am committed to resolving this matter and will ensure that I attend all future court dates as required.'
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Fouani has arranged to appear in court Monday morning. Tkatch confirmed the scheduled appearance and said the warrant will be deemed executed if Fouani attends.
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Fouani has been free on bail since June 14, 2022, and in March 2023 pleaded guilty to laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking.
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Two months after he was charged he was the victim of a deadly ambush outside his southwest Calgary home. The attack took the life of his wife, Nakita Baron, and left Fouani badly wounded.
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An Edmonton man, Michael Tyrel Arnold, was convicted in February of second-degree murder and attempted murder for the attack on Fouani.
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The couple were ambushed as Fouani backed his older-model Bentley out of his driveway and Arnold, clad in a construction vest and walking a dog, signalled for him to roll down the window before firing two shots into the car.
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Fouani is currently unrepresented after firing his first lawyer Yoav Niv, after Justice Greg Stirling, who is presiding over his sentencing, declined to have himself removed from the case over an apprehension of bias.
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Defence counsel Greg Dunn came on the file and argued Fouani was the victim of an unconstitutional delay in the proceeding. After that was rejected, Dunn went off the record.
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