Q: I read an AJC article about Marc Wabafiyebazu, the 15-year-old son of a Canadian diplomat. He was involved in a drug deal that resulted in the death of two people. He reached a plea deal on the charges. I thought diplomats and their families were exempt from legal prosecution. Why didn’t he receive this benefit?
— Harvey V. Apple, Sandy Springs
A: Roxanne Dubé, who is Wabafiyebazu's mother, and her family didn't qualify for diplomatic immunity because she was Canada's consul general, which isn't considered a "diplomatic agent," the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported.
An attorney told CBC that an ambassador’s child would have diplomatic immunity and a law professor said: “Consular officials only have immunity for official acts” while working.
“Moreover, consular immunity does not extend to family members,” University of California at Irvine professor Chris Whytock told the CBC.
Dube stepped down as consul general in August.
Wabafiyebazu must attend a military-style boot camp, serve house arrest and eight years of probation after pleading no contest to charges of third-degree felony murder last week.
Q: Who is the voice of the Arby’s guy on their commercials? He also does the ADT commercials.
— Catherine Perry, Atlanta
A: Veteran actor Ving Rhames provides the voice for Arby's commercials.
Among his many roles, Rhames played Marsellus Wallace in “Pulp Fiction” and Luther Stickell in the “Mission: Impossible” series. He won a Golden Globe in 1998 for his portrayal of Don King in HBO’s “Don King: Only in America.”
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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