Military police consulted satire magazine, not Vance

OTTAWA — Military police investigating allegations of an inappropriate relationship by Gen. Jon Vance in 2015 never interviewed the senior officer, but did consult the satirical Frank magazine for information.

The police investigation was hurriedly done just weeks before Vance was to take on the top military job as chief of the defence staff.

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service probe took just four weeks to wrap up, concluding there was no “physical evidence” Vance had a relationship contrary to military regulations, according to documents obtained by Postmedia News.

Vance was never interviewed for the investigation and police relied on a statement he provided a year earlier on the same allegation. In addition, a formal investigation plan was never created by the Canadian Forces

National Investigation Service for the 2015 probe, according to the records.

The investigation service, also known as the CFNIS, was called in after Lt.-gen. Christine Whitecross received an anonymous email on June 10, 2015, claiming Vance was involved in sexual misconduct while he was posted to NATO as deputy commander allied joint force command in Naples. The claim centred around Vance’s 2014 relationship with a subordinate U.S. female officer, whom he eventually married.

The CFNIS was to determine if Vance followed military directives governing personal and romantic relationships between personnel.

“No direct witnesses were found by any of our sources of information relating to a physical act,” stated the CFNIS investigation, although it did conclude Vance indeed had a personal relationship at the time with the U.S. officer.

The CFNIS tried to contact the anonymous source who claimed they could provide names of military staff who knew about Vance’s relationship in Naples, but police received no response.

Vance, in his previous statement, denied any wrongdoing.

Investigators also reviewed an April 2015 article in the satirical magazine, Frank, which outlined allegations about Vance during his time at NATO. The article was titled, “Humour in Uniform — Vance’s slippery Naples.”