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Justice For Myanmar calls on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to swiftly investigate and take action against Canadian citizens for doing business with the Canadian sanctioned Myanma Pearl Enterprise (MPE).
In April 2024, leading Canadian sanctions lawyers representing Justice For Myanmar made a submission to the RCMP to report the suspected violations of Canadian sanctions, and shared evidence that included leaked documents and corporate filings.
The four Canadian citizens are Pierre Hajjar, Marie Rose Jarmakli Hajjar, Sarkis Hajjar and Michael Pierre Hajjar, the family behind Belpearl, a network of companies engaged in the farming, processing, auctioning and trade of pearls. The Canadian company, Belpearl Toronto Inc, was also reported to RCMP.
Belpearl operates a pearl farming business in Shwe Kyun (Russel Island), off the southern Tanintharyi coast of Myanmar, through the local company Belpearl Myanmar Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the Singapore company Belpearl (S) Pte Ltd.
Belpearl was granted a Myanmar Investment Commission permit in 2014 by the military’s proxy government for its Tanintharyi farm.
Belpearl Myanmar farms pearls under a production sharing contract with the state-owned MPE, which was illegally seized by the junta through its February 1, 2021 illegal coup attempt. Under the arrangement, Belpearl provides MPE with a share of its production. The junta then sells the pearls in regular emporiums in Naypyidaw, often attended by war criminal and junta head Min Aung Hlaing.
By providing the junta with pearls, Belpearl is helping generate revenue that funds its ongoing campaign of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In addition to pearl farming, Belpearl operates a pearl auction business in Hong Kong that sells both pearls from Belpearl Myanmar and other companies in Myanmar that are farming pearls, including Tasaki, Myanmar Atlantic, Myanmar Andaman and Annawar Pearl.
Belpearl is therefore supporting the junta-controlled pearl sector more broadly by bringing Myanmar pearls to the global market.
On May 17, 2021, Canada sanctioned Myanma Pearl Enterprise. Yet, evidence on file with Justice For Myanmar and submitted to Canadian police demonstrate the continued involvement of members of the Hajjar family in Belpearl’s Myanmar operations, in suspected violation of Canadian sanctions:
- Marie Rose Jarmakli Hajjar and Pierre Hajjar served as directors of Belpearl Myanmar until January 2026, according to corporate records. Sarkis Hajjar was also a director of Belpearl Myanmar in the period following the military’s coup attempt.
- Until January 2026, Belpearl Myanmar was owned by Marie Rose Jarmakli Hajjar and Michael Pierre Hajjar through the Singapore registered company Belpearl (S). Sarkis Hajjar was a director of Belpearl (S).
- Pierre Hajjar’s direct involvement in Belpearl Myanmar operations is further demonstrated by Environmental Compliance Certificates submitted to the junta in 2024 that list him as the chairperson.
- In addition, Marie Rose Jarmakli Hajjar and Pierre Hajjar are directors of Belpearl Auctions Limited in Hong Kong and are engaged in the sale of pearls from both Belpearl Myanmar and other pearl farms that operate under licences from MPE.
- Belpearl Myanmar’s farming operations have been sustained by Belpearl Japan Co. Ltd., a company associated with Pierre Hajjar that has shipped pearl nuclei to Belpearl Myanmar following Canadian sanctions on MPE, according leaked tax filings. This has enabled Belpearl Myanmar to continue farming and supplying pearls to MPE.
Under Section 13 of Canada’s Myanmar Sanctions, Canadians are prohibited from knowingly doing anything that can cause, facilitate, or assist any prohibited activity, which includes transactions or dealings in property owned, held or controlled by MPE.
The police submission argues that the four members of the Hajjar family identified have almost certainly breached Section 13 of the Myanmar Sanctions because they had to know the sanctions implications of their actions, or were at minimum wilfully blind to them, which also meets the legal test.
While it is not possible for Justice For Myanmar to confirm whether pearls sold by Belpearl Toronto were sourced from Myanmar after MPE was sanctioned, there is a high risk that it has done so and therefore also breached Canadian Sanctions, which requires investigation.
Australian and EU loophole through failure to sanction MPE
In the months following the military’s coup attempt, the USA and the UK also sanctioned MPE, however the EU and Australia have thus far failed to do so.
The four members of the Hajjar family and their business associates appear to have exploited this sanctions loophole by transferring Belpearl Myanmar to Georges Christian Jarmakli, a French citizen who joined the company’s board in 2024, and Nejteh Movses Demirian, an Australian citizen who joined the board in 2025.
In January 2026, Marie Rose Jarmakli Hajjar and Michael Pierre Hajjar transferred ownership of Belpearl (S) to Nejteh Movses Demirian via his fully owned Singapore company, APAC Aquaculture Pte Ltd.
Due to the close links between the current and former owners of Belpearl, Justice For Myanmar believes there is a high risk that members of the Hajjar family could continue to direct Belpearl by proxy, despite exiting Belpearl Myanmar and Belpearl (S). Georges Christian Jarmakli is believed to be a relative of Marie Rose Jarmakli. Furthermore, Nejteh Movses Demirian and Marie Rose Jamarkli Hajjar were business partners in the Hong Kong company, South Sea Aquaculture Company Limited before she transferred her shares to Georges Christian Jarmakli in 2024.
The recent involvement of a French and Australian citizen in Belpearl demonstrates potential dangers when sanctions are not coordinated. We urge the USA, UK, EU, Canada and Australia to coordinate sanctions and close loopholes, including through the urgent sanctioning of MPE by the EU and Australia.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung says: "The Hajjars and Belpearl have been in business with a Canadian sanctioned junta entity for over four years.
"By doing so, they have helped generate revenue for an illegal military junta that is killing children, bombing schools and hospitals and destroying whole communities.
"We have welcomed all rounds of Canadian sanctions imposed in response to the military’s illegal coup attempt and atrocity crimes.
"However, sanctions need to be backed by rigorous enforcement and the actions of members of the Hajjar family amounts to an egregious disregard for Canadian law.
"We call on Canadian authorities to fully investigate all cases of sanctions violations involving Belpearl and its owners, and take action to the full extent of the law."
