NEWS > 24 November 2006

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CBC Toronto - Toronto,Ontario,
24 November 2006

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Fantino shelved pricey probe i

Former Toronto police chief Julian Fantino is being accused of interfering with an expensive anti-corruption task force three years ago and of pulling funding that would have kept it going.

The loss of funding prevented key interviews and further investigation of unresolved allegations of criminal activity, said lawyer Peter Biro, who represents a man suing a team of drug officers for allegedly beating him up and stealing tens of thousands of dollars in cash. Those charges have never been proven in court.

The special task force, launched in 2001 to probe allegations of internal corruption, ended in 2004 after costing taxpayers about $8 million.

Biro told CBC News he had two appointments set up in early 2003 for his client to speak with investigators on the 25-member task force.

But the head of the task force, the RCMP's John Neily, called to cancel, explaining he was being forced to shelve the investigation.

"What was made very clear to me was that a decision was made not to investigate these particular complaints any further," Biro said.

In that phone conversation, Biro said Neily told him the Toronto police were pulling funding, which he says effectively shut down the investigation into his client's allegations.

"I expressed outrage that scheduled interviews with [my client] were cancelled, but [Neily] told me that it wasn't his decision and that it wasn't his choice and that the work of the task force was at an end. � The pretext for it was there was a problem of time and resources."

Biro pointed to Fantino, saying he "shut down the task force."

"The task force was shut down by the office that appointed it in the first place. That's how independent this task force was in the first place."

Biro doesn't believe past assurances by Fantino and recent statements by the current police Chief Bill Blair that the task force investigation was thorough.

He said he was frustrated by Blair's comments on Thursday about how much time and money was devoted to the probe.

"What he didn't tell you is that they were not given a chance to complete their work," said Biro.

Fantino, who now serves as the province's top cop as the Ontario provincial police commissioner, declined to comment Thursday, saying some of the matters in question are before the courts.

Neily, now an assistant commissioner of the RCMP, also refused to speak to CBC.

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Article sourced from

CBC Toronto - Toronto,Ontario,24 November 2006

Fantino shelved pricey probe i

EiP Comments:

CBC Toronto - Toronto,Ontario,
24 November 2006