A former Winnipeg convenience store owner was sentenced to five years behind bars Monday for the unsuccessful plot of the murder of his business partner.
Amare Gebru, 44, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in June.
Gebru, a landed immigrant, now faces deportation to his home country of Ethiopia after serving his sentence.
At the judge’s decision, members of Gebru’s family were inconsolable and visually upset.
Gebru claims before coming to Canada he was politically outspoken and believes he will be imprisoned again and even tortured if returned home.
Defense lawyer Mike Cook had asked the judge for a sentence of six months less a day to avoid Gebru’s deportation.
“Six months or more triggers the deportation proceedings. I wanted to avoid that,” said Cook. “Now, I’ve been instructed to appeal the conviction and the sentence.”
