Forgery investigation will drag into new year
The criminal probe of fraud and forgery allegations at a Progressive Conservative nomination will continue into the election year, police say.
Hamilton police also emphasize that “no one has been ruled out” as a suspect in their investigation of unnamed Conservative officials.
With an election set for June 7, the Tories are anxious for the matter to be resolved sooner rather than later.
“We can anticipate the investigation will take us into the new year,” Hamilton police Const. Lorraine Edwards said Monday.
Asked by the Star if “any Progressive Conservative official, up to and including the leader, the party president and the executive director, has been ruled out as a suspect,” Edwards replied: “No one has been ruled out during our investigation.”
The controversy is heating up at Queen’s Park; NDP House Leader Gilles Bisson urged Liberal Attorney General Yasir Naqvi to refer it to federal prosecutors as has been done in past cases. But Naqvi said “it’s too premature to start speculating about an ongoing investigation.”
“If the actual charges are laid, I’m fairly confident we will take the same step and make sure that the public prosecution service of Canada is the one dealing with that matter,” he said.
At issue is a disputed Conservative candidate nomination from May 7 in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas.
After the riding meeting, Vikram Singh, a Hamilton lawyer and runner-up in the four-contestant election, launched a civil action against the party alleging “wrongful insertion of false ballots.”
In that suit, he named PC Leader Patrick Brown, party president Rick Dykstra, executive director Bob Stanley, and senior Brown aide Logan Bugeja. The Tories have denied any wrongdoing in the civil case and allegations have not been proven in court. Singh also filed a complaint with police. The criminal investigation is separate from the continuing civil action.
On Friday, Brown stressed that the Tories are co-operating with police.
“We’ve offered full disclosure. Our office disclosed everything that was asked,” he said, referring to two banker’s boxes of documents handed over to police on Oct. 27.
When asked during a news conference at Toronto city hall if Stanley or Dykstra were under investigation, Brown was firm.
“No one in my office, no one on my campaign team, no one in our headquarters, is under investigation,” he said.
According to court documents filed by police two weeks ago, Det. Const. Adam Jefferess obtained an “order of detention” to allow for additional time to examine material obtained from the party’s lawyer.