Two men accused of having Tony Clement singed on explicit footage arrested in Ivory Coast

Two West African men accused of blackmailing former Conservative MP Tony Clement with badually explicit photos that he sent them are considered a woman.

Clément, married with three children, admitted in November that he sent explicit images and videos to a person whom he considered a consenting woman, but who turned out to be what it was. called a "foreign actor".

Two men were arrested last month by the Ivorian anti-cybercrime unit. Sources confirm that the arrests are related to Clement's case.

Ivorian government officials claimed that the two men had created fake profiles on Instagram and LinkedIn, claiming to be a white woman named "Brianna Dounia". They would have used these accounts to correspond with Clement and a French citizen.

Once in possession of the explicit images, the suspects would have claimed 50 000 euros, or 75 000 dollars, and threatened to disseminate the contents if Clement did not pay.

The suspects are identified by government officials in Cote d'Ivoire simply by the initials CH and DML.

Clement, 57, admitted to having had more inappropriate exchanges that "had led to acts of infidelity" and had announced his intention to seek help. He was quickly dismissed from the Conservative Party caucus but refused to retire as a Member of Parliament.

Clement now sits in the House as an independent. CTV News could not reach him for his comments on the arrests.

The federal government has specifically warned Canadians against cybercrime in Côte d'Ivoire. The warning, posted on a Government of Canada website, was issued in 2015 by Stephen Harper, while Clement was minister.

"We recommend being cautious and avoid sharing personal information with people overseas who are asking for funds because of the serious risk of identity theft with often difficult consequences" , we read in the official warning.

The scandal erupted on November 6 when Clement admitted to sharing photos with a stranger who, he said, was trying to extort him. Two days later, Clement admitted to having had more exchanges than he described as "completely consensual and mutual", but "were totally false and should never have occurred".

Clement said that one of these exchanges had led a woman to be offered money by an anonymous account on a social network in exchange for the disclosure of personal and intimate information. He stated that he had reported the incident to the Ontario Provincial Police last summer.

Clement apologized and stated that the exchanges took place "during a period of personal difficulties and weaknesses". He said he plans to take steps to restore his relationship with his wife, Lynne Golding, a lawyer based in Toronto.

The scandal prompted a group of women in Clement's constituency in Ontario to launch a petition to resign. Clement continues to represent Parry Sound-Muskoka and has given no indication as to his intention to withdraw.

Clement has been a member of the House of Commons since 2006. He has held several cabinet positions and has been a candidate for Conservative leadership twice, including in the last leadership race.

Clément finally abandoned the race and supported Maxime Bernier, who lost to Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and then launched the People's Party of Canada.