Ivory Coast men arrested in Clement extortion attempt

Two men have been arrested in connection with the extortion attempt on Parry Sound-Muskoka MP Tony Clement.

CTV News has learned the men live in the Ivory Coast.

In early November, Clement went public that he had sent sexually explicit images to someone he believed to be a consenting woman who turned out to be a “foreign actor” who was now extorting him for 50,000 euros.

The two men were arrested last month by the Ivory Coast’s cyber crimes division. The men’s names are not known, they are simply referred to by their initials: C.H. and D.M.L.

The reports say the men went by the name “Brianna Dounia” on phoney Instagram and LinkedIN accounts.

The MP was not their only alleged victim. There is another one who is a French citizen.

Clement has represented Parry Sound-Muskoka in Ottawa since 2006.

He is now an independent in the House of Commons after he was asked to resign from the Conservative caucus by party leader Andrew Scheer in the wake of the scandal.

Clement apologized for the situation, writing in a letter to his constituents that he “engaged in inappropriate exchanges that crossed lines that should never have been crossed,” and that he was seeking professional help.