The federal government says France refused a request to extradite a priest accused of crimes against children in Nunavut. The Canadian Public Prosecution Service submitted an extradition request for Johannes Rivoire, who is in his nineties and lives in Lyon, France.

Rivoire is wanted under a warrant across Canada issued in February on charges of sexual assault stemming from a complaint made last year. Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Relations, said in a tweet on Thursday: "It is sad to see this serious injustice continue."

Rivoire was in Canada from the early 1960s until 1993 when he returned to France. He previously avoided trial due to multiple sexual assault allegations related to his time as a priest in Nunavut.

An arrest warrant was issued for him in 1998 and he faced at least three sexual assault charges in Nunavut communities of Arviat, Rankin Inlet, and Naujaat. After more than two decades, the charges were dropped.

The Canadian Public Prosecution Service said at the time: This was partly due to France’s reluctance to extradite Rivoire, and Miller said: The federal government is working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to issue an Interpol "red notice" allowing Rivoire’s arrest in any other country.

Miller said: "Therefore, prosecution in Canada remains possible if Johannes Rivoire leaves France." A group representing Nunavut Inuit traveled to France last month to demand the criminal’s extradition.

Editing: Yusra Bamtaraf