Sarah Holland
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 11/00) - A 33-year-old Moroccan citizen will remain in police custody until Friday when he will appear in territorial court on two charges under the Immigration Act.

Ahmed Benreddad first appeared in court on Tuesday when the defense requested an adjournment in order to have additional time to prepare their case.

Benreddad is being charged with offences dating from November 1999 to September 2000.

The first charge is for staying in Canada longer than the allowed six months without the authorization of an Immigration officer. The second charge is for working in Canada without an employment authorization.

There are a number of problems that result from a non-resident of Canada being employed without authorization, according to Sgt. Phil Johnson.

"These workers are not paying income tax, there are health and safety issues, and, because they're hiding from the law, workers (can) be exploited by employers," said Sgt. Johnson.

The investigation was conducted by the joint efforts of the RCMP Federal Enforcement Section and Yellowknife detachment, along with Citizenship and Immigration Canada.