In sworn affidavits filed with Elections Canada, Richard Lorello, Tracey Kent and Carrie Liddy allege that there were irregularities in Fantino’s 2010 by-election and 2011 election campaigns.
The three former riding association members allege that Fantino’s fundraising chair, Sam Ciccolini, said at a January 2011 meeting that there was a second bank account belonging to the campaign that contained more than $300,000.
It is against election rules to have more than one campaign bank account.
A spokesman for Fantino dismissed any idea of wrongdoing.
“Any information suggesting the existence of a second election bank account is incorrect,” spokesman Chris McCluskey said in an email.
Lorello, who was director of the association when the January meeting took place, alleges that Ciccolini wanted to turn the account into a riding association account without following election rules.
“This seemed highly irregular to us,” said Lorello, “because the account had not been audited by Elections Canada.” Lorello claimed the board members never even knew the account existed.
“Want I want is transparency into this account, he said. “Elections Canada rules are supposed to make financing transparent. This is not transparent.”
The group also claims there is a third account — neither a campaign account nor a riding association account — that they know little about.
“How much money was put in the third account, when, by who, and how was the money spent?” said Liddy, a Vaughan resident and onetime supporter of former Vaughan mayor Linda Jackson. “We want answers.”
Last May, Fantino handily won his Vaughan riding, after winning the seat for the Conservative in a by-election just six months earlier. The former Toronto police chief used a get tough on crime platform to defeat Liberal Mario Ferri.
Original Article
Source: Star
Author: Amy Dempsey
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