KIDNAPPING OF PIERRE DEMERS

I was the owner of a small construction company in a joint venture with RSW (own todays by the US company AECOM) for a project in Tamanrasset, south of Algeria.

I was dismissed from the projects by my partner RSW and the complicity of an Algerian colonnel who had tried to ransom my company for obtaining other project,

The Canadian Embassy in Algiers had been warned in writing of the situation by me, two weeks before my kidnapping.

In May 2009, when I got off the plane at the airport in Algiers, I would be arrested by two Algerian military intelligence agents who handcuffed me without explanation.  They took away my cell phone without realizing that I had a second one. As soon as I could, I called a colleague to inform that I was handcuffed and warned my wife and the Canadian embassy.

The two agents were furious when they saw me with a second telephone, which they immediately snatched from my hands. This call probably savec my life.  I was 55 years old.

I would never cross the Algerian customs, officially I never arrived in Algeria.  For more than 2 weeks my family and the Canadian Embassy will not know where I am.

I was interrogated without interruption for 30 hours with a lamp in my face before taking me to the BLIDA military prison. I would be isolated in a cell, tortured and starved, unable to communicate with my family.  

A month later, I would learn that I am accused of corruption.

I would lose more than 60 pounds in the first 3 months.

Although we had provided supporting documentation to the military court, demonstrating that it was the RSW president who had carried out these transactions without our knowledge,  I will be sentenced to 6 years in prison in an expeditious military trial in Arabic without being able to defend myself.

From my point of view, the Canadian Embassy did not do much to facilitate my release.  If I had American or French nationality, things would never have happened that way.

During all the time that I would be imprisoned, nobody from RSW will help us.  They will never call home to inquire about the situation or offer financial help, support for my wife and kids, even for a lawyer.  

My children have left their studies to go to work to help their mother financially.

RSW will try to bankrupt us to take control of the joint venture RSW will hold funds that should have been paid to my company to put us in financial difficulty.

I would be released by President Bouteflicka himself, 40 months later, and especially by the hard work of my wife, my children, a Canadian lawyer who worked pro-bono and the discovery of a confidential document signed by the president of RSW himself for the payment of commissions for which the Algerian military justice had condemned me for corruption.

During all the time that I would be detained, I have not been able to talk or see my wife and childrens who were teenagers at that time,

When I returned to Canada, they were now adults... and me grand-father.

We are facing a huge lawsuit against my partner. RSW will have robbed us of the projects by corruption and stoled millions of dollars from the Canadian and Algerian bank accounts of the joint venture during my detention.

I decided to appeal to GoFundMe, to find the money to pay the fees of our lawyer for the continuation of this battle.

It is a David and Goliath battle since 2009 to obtain justice and reparation.

The family is exhausted, my wife and I work as employees following the destruction of our society.  Our salaries are not sufficient to cover all legal costs and fee of our lawyer,

And we should be on trial in 2017.


Thank you so much for your support, we really appreciate the time you took to read our story.


Pierre Demers, p.eng.



For more details on this story, see Radio-Canada interview “Condamné au silence” (Condemned to silence) on the following link :
RADIO-CANADA ENQUETE  (in french)