Tabbara’s court case adjourned to Aug. 28
Liberal party has investigated allegations of sexual harassment against MP, according to news reports
GUELPH — Kitchener-South Hespeler MP Marwan Tabbara is scheduled to be back in court on Aug. 28.
On Friday morning, Tabbara’s name was read off a list by a court justice in Guelph, adjourning his case to the presumptive date later this summer.
Guelph’s Ontario Court of Justice is not open to the public, but matters could be heard over a conference call. It’s unclear if the local MP was on the call or not.
Tabbara faces several charges including two counts of assault, break and enter and criminal harassment. He was arrested in Guelph on April 9, but neither the Guelph Police Service or Tabbara made these charges known to the public.
On June 5, media outlets were reporting the allegations against him and within hours Tabbara announced he would be stepping back from the Liberal caucus. He still continues to work as an MP.
The Prime Minister’s Office said it only learned of the charges on the morning of June 5.
On Friday in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the House of Commons has a rule that requires the Speaker to be officially notified if an MP is arrested.
He said this rule has not been followed or enforced and suggested this might be something Parliament should address.
CBC News reported Friday that the Liberal party had conducted an internal investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made against Tabbara during his last mandate. Citing unnamed sources “with knowledge of the allegations,” CBC says the alleged misconduct included inappropriate touching and unwelcome sexual comments directed at a female staffer dating back to the 2015 election campaign.