| The fellow was an Ontario businessman, wanting to get a government
contract. He claims he was told by one or more cabinet ministers
(PCs) that he had to submit bribes. He didn't do so, I believe,
lost out on the contract, decided to bring this/them to justice.
He went to the RCMP, but they declined to prosecute. He stood around
parliament hill for years, just demonstrating and shouting down
mulroney and the ministers. Only recently did he start a private
criminal action (my words, which are probably not the correct ones for
this type of action).
The main points being that normally criminal actions are launched by
the crown, this one is being launched by an individual, and requires
that the named cabinet ministers appear in court to face the charges.
So it could still be embarrasing for mulroney and the ministers. In
the meanwhile the fellow has lost almost everything in his
single-minded pursuit of justice. He now signs autographs on
parliament hill, where he was shunned and ridiculed before.
(Sort of reminds me of the story of the founder of the non-smokers
rights association...)
Pieter
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| The man's name was Glen Kealey ...
He was recently given permission to bring charges against the crown
by a JP. (For some technical legal reason, one must have permission
to lay charges against the crown and representatives)
Moreover, the head of the RCMP is also charged with obstructing
justice.
Neat!
Stuart
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| Re: .1 Glen Kealey is from Hull, Quebec not Ontario
Re: .2 I'm no lawyer but it's not quite true that he had to get
"permission" to lay charges. Up here anyone has the right to appear
before a justice of the peace and swear charges against another
individual, the JP hears the evidence you present and determines if
there are grounds to proceed, this provision is there to allow people
to act on their own behalf when the police can't or won't get involved by
far the two largest groups of such charges being sworn are harassment and
landlord-tenant act violations, the JP will not usually lay a charge
they have several other tricks in their bags such as requiring a peace
bond.
This is not the first time Glen Kealey has set legal history in Canada,
about a year ago he was charged under a law that has been on the books
for more than 100 years but never been used, something about it being
illegal to disrupt the sancity of parliment or something stupid like
that. I believe the charge was thrown out of court.
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