There's nothing holding back the new Che Guevara!

Former Hollinger International chief and self-declared freedom fighter Conrad Black is applying to get his Canadian citizenship back .

Black ditched his Canadian citizenship back in 2001 so that he could be admitted into Britain's House of Lords but there might be good reasons why Lord Black of Crossharbour, who is due to go on trial for fraud in the US next year, has had a change of heart. Getting his citizenship back would allow him to seek transfer to a Canadian jail, reports The London Free Press.

But his patriotism could run into two problems: Government discretion and the not-so-small matter of criminal charges of stealing $80 million from Hollinger, reports the Globe and Mail.

As Marina Wilson, a spokeswoman for the federal Immigration Department told the paper: "An application for permanent residency is not processed until all criminal charges have been dealt with"

But Conrad Black is just a victim, says the Globe and Mail's Margaret Wente:

"He belongs to a despised minority group. That group is rich people. The U.S. government, he argues, has poisoned the minds of prospective jurors against him by pointing out how very rich he is (or was). His criminal indictment, he complains, contains "inflammatory" details about his personal life, including a description of his luxurious houses, his servants, his chauffeur, and the $13,935 he spent on wine and champagne for his wife's birthday party.

"Clearly, Mr. Black cannot receive what everyone is guaranteed by law - a trial by a jury of his peers. It's doubtful that the jury will include a single British Lord, never mind a millionaire. 'A typical juror does not reside in more than one residence, employ servants or a chauffeur, enjoy lavish furniture, or host expensive parties,'his court documents object. It's hard to disagree. In the name of simple justice, his trial should be moved to the Bridle Path."

"Mr. Black's fondest wish is to regain his citizenship in Canada (for which he has expressed a newfound admiration), and to clear his name of these malicious defamations. In his tireless battle against his unjust persecution, he has called himself a 'freedom fighter'."

Wente suggests sending Black something that puts him there with another freedom fighter. A Che Guevara T-shirt!

Good idea. Or maybe the memoirs of another freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela's 656-page autobiography Long Walk To Freedom.

He'll need something to read!