Courtroom anticipated to listen to from two dozen witnesses from different municipalities named in expense claims
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Greater than two dozen witnesses towards former Calgary metropolis council member Joe Magliocca will likely be permitted to testify remotely through video hyperlinks from throughout the nation and past.
Defence counsel Aryan Sadat, after reviewing an affidavit from an RCMP officer and statements from the potential witnesses, informed Justice Gord Wong on Friday he was not opposing Crown prosecutor Aaron Rankin’s software to have most of his case introduced through distant testimony.
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On Monday, at the beginning of Magliocca’s Calgary Courtroom of Justice trial, Sadat indicated he had directions from his shopper to oppose continuing in such a way, arguing Rankin had not produced proof supporting his software.
The lawyer requested to adjourn the case to Friday to find out his place on the bid and within the interim Rankin had lead RCMP investigator David Mitchell put together an affidavit, which included witness statements.
Sadat’s preliminary response to that doc was to ask Justice Gord Wong to recuse himself from the case, suggesting the statements might affect the decide’s resolution within the case.
“It might probably put you in an improper place,” Sadat mentioned, earlier than Wong summarily dismissed the recusal software.
Wong mentioned judges routinely hear proof, or info that isn’t admissible in a trial, together with ruling on the admissibility of confessions by accused individuals, earlier than disabusing themselves from something that isn’t correctly earlier than the courtroom.
“That may be an analogous state of affairs right here,” he mentioned. “The courts are mainly ready to disregard (such proof).”
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Sadat continued to press the problem, saying he was “placing the courtroom on discover” that if the affidavit was entered on the courtroom document he would renew his recusal software.
“It’s already on the document. We’ve handled it,” Wong mentioned.
Magliocca, 59, faces prices of fraud and breach of belief by a public officer over allegations he was reimbursed for bills at out-of-town features that weren’t truly incurred.
On Monday, Rankin informed courtroom he’ll name greater than two dozen witnesses from different municipalities who attended such occasions and had been later named in Magliocca’s expense claims as having been purchased drinks or dinners by him.
The prosecutor mentioned he anticipates they’ll say they both by no means met Magliocca, or solely met him briefly to change enterprise playing cards and weren’t handled by the previous Ward 2 councillor.
“These individuals attended municipal authorities conferences not positioned in Calgary,” he defined.
Rankin mentioned the witnesses had been interviewed by police and requested concerning a selected date and time, “had been you the visitor of Mr. Magliocca?”
“They may give proof on that time. The expectation is the reply will likely be ‘no.’”
The named officers embody Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, former Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, Ontario Liberal Chief Bonnie Crombie, Quebec provincial cupboard minister Jonatan Julien and Stephen Wright, a former Peterborough council member now dwelling in Australia.
Magliocca’s trial is about to run till Sept. 26.
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