Ottawa, Ontario
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) today announced the sentencing of Kwene Tombwe following joint investigations into immigration and citizenship fraud as well as sexual assault.
On October 15, 2024, in Ottawa, Ontario, Mr. Tombwe pleaded guilty to:
- three counts of sexual assault
- one count of sexual interference involving a minor
- one count of making a false statement in relation to a passport
- two counts of misrepresentation under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
- one count of misrepresentation under the Citizenship Act
As a result, Mr. Tombwe was sentenced to six years incarceration for the sexual assaults, and one year for each of the four other charges, to be served concurrently. He was also ordered to pay $26,500 restitution to his victims, and to have his DNA collected for inclusion on the sex offender registry.
The sentencing decision is the result of investigations which began in 2016 and spanned several international borders.
In 2017, Mr. Tombwe absconded from Canada when he became aware that the CBSA was investigating the authenticity of refugee claims made by the people he had been exploiting and abusing. When he returned to Canada to seek medical attention in 2023, he was met and arrested by the CBSA and returned to Ottawa to face criminal proceedings.
