Canadian Press

Windsor — A report that an Ontario man has been sentenced to 10 years in a Cuban jail for corrupting a
minor is under investigation by the Department of Foreign Affairs after an unofficial phone call was placed
to the Canadian consul in Havana.

The federal agency has confirmed that Zlatko Trpkovski, 53, did have a trial before a judge on June 30, but
it could verify neither the verdict nor the sentence.

"We're aware of his case, and he's been visited by the Canadian consul in Havana," Foreign Affairs
spokesman Reynald Doiron said. "We're following it very closely."

The Windsor man was arrested Feb. 6. and sent to a jail in Las Tunas.

Mr. Trpkovski's son, Alex, said his father went on a boat ride in Cuba with a girl who he thought was 19 and
found out only after his arrest that she was underage — "14 or 15."

"It's entrapment," said the younger Mr. Trpkovski, who believes his father was set up. "He couldn't have
known."

Alex Trpkovski, 25, visited the Cuban jail three weeks ago, and said his father is maintaining good spirits
despite harsh living conditions.

Almost 3,000 Canadians face legal problems in 117 countries abroad, including 13 in Cuba.

Although Canada has bilateral agreements with a number of countries on repatriating prisoners, it has no such arrangement with Cuba.