OTTAWA - Canadian officials have regularly visited and telephoned Brenda Martin since her imprisonment in Mexico more than two years ago, contrary to claims by critics, a government report indicates.
A Foreign Affairs Department report provides a detailed account of contacts between the Canadian consulate in Guadalajara and the jailed woman since her February 2006 arrest.
The document also offers a glimpse at life in the Puente Grande women's jail, including Martin's skirmishes with inmates, weekly telephone calls to her mother and a prison beauty pageant.
Consular officials spoke often with Martin, 51, by telephone, sometimes several times a day, and visited the prison at least a dozen times.
There's no indication of the length of the calls and visits, and only a brief note about each encounter.
But the report, obtained by The Canadian Press, helps bolster the Canadian government's claim of regular dialogue with Martin and Mexican officials.
It's not known why the point-form chronology was created, and Foreign Affairs didn't immediately return a call.
Martin and her Toronto-based lawyer were not immediately available for comment.
Her longtime friend, Debra Tieleman, says the report doesn't give the full story.
"It wouldn't be indicative of consular officials being involved in Brenda's case,'' she said. "They can put down as many phone calls as they want.''
"They could have made 600 calls, for all I care ... they have not been effective in this at all.''
The report, prepared in early January, does not include more recent contacts with Martin since her plight garnered media attention.
The first entry is Feb. 18, 2006, the day after Mexican authorities arrested Martin over allegations she was implicit in her ex-boss's shady dealings. The last one is Jan. 7, 2008.
The report shows Martin rebuffed officials' attempts to contact her on at least five occasions.
"Called warden re visit and was informed Ms. Martin did not wish a visit,'' says one entry.
The entries suggest a troubled woman who talks of suicide, has been "aggressive with fellow inmates'' and was "rude'' to cafeteria staff on one occasion.
The report also shows Martin has repeatedly refused to eat or work inside the prison, despite special privileges given to her.
"Dep. Warden mentioned that Ms. Martin has been allowed to go through the kitchen and have a choice of what she wants to eat, a privilege not allowed to other inmates.''
Another entry: "Warden says subject refuses to eat, even the diet that she can (vegetables and fruits) but nonetheless during her stay in the hospital she managed to eat fries and soda.''
One entry notes Martin complained to the consular officials about overcrowding and sleeping on a mattress on the floor, but wouldn't transfer dormitories because she'd lose access to a refrigerator.
The consulate made arrangements with the prison warden last March to allow Martin to call her mother, Marjorie Bletcher, in Trenton, Ont., once a week.
The report shows Martin missed a weekly call to her mother on March 22, 2007, because she was participating in a prison beauty pageant.
"No call to mother as Ms. Martin was in a beauty pageant at (the) prison and did not go to the office for the weekly call.''
Mexican authorities arrested Martin on allegations of money laundering and participating in a criminal conspiracy connected to an investment scam her former boss, Alyn Waage.
Martin denies any involvement in an Internet-based fraud scheme masterminded by Waage, which bilked 15,000 investors out of nearly US$60 million.
Waage is now serving a 10-year sentence at a low-security federal prison in Butner, N.C.
The former Edmonton native claims Martin -- his private cook for 10 months in 2000-01 -- was oblivious to the scam, and he's sworn an affidavit saying so.
Waage says Mexican officials are holding Martin and a former American employee as "ransom'' for an alleged $500,000 bribe sought by authorities that he never paid.
