British Columbia Attorney General Wally Oppal has taken a second look at a case that CTV News has been investigating this week.
It's the decision by Provincial Court Judge Ellen Gordon to grant bail to Dennis Karbovanec, a well known criminal with gang affiliations. The decision to grant bail has frustrated police who say he's a threat to public safety.
So was the judge's decision a mistake?
Apparently not, according to a report by CTV reporter Ann Gebauer.
Since that decision three months ago, Port Moody police have warned the public to be on high alert. And controversy surrounding the judge who allowed Karbovanec out in the first place, has been mounting.
"I believe the judge's decision was totally inadequate,'' said Bob Elliott, the acting mayor of Port Moody. "It's unfair to the public in general. It's a safety issue,'' Elliott said.
Controversy has followed a number of Judge Gordon's decisions. One of the highest profile -- a two year jail term for Jenny Woloshyn. She was so drunk she couldn't even stand up after smashing into David Firenze, and killing him.
At the time, Firenze's mother was angered by what she believed was a lenient sentence. Today -- she's not surprised
"It makes me very upset because she is thinking of that individual in front of her but she's not thinking about anyone else,'' said Maria Firenze.
"The Criminal Justice Branch vigorously opposed the release of this man,'' said Oppal.
In a rare move, Oppal personally reviewed the reasons Judge Ellen Gordon granted bail to Dennis Karbovanec. Oppal says he may not agree with her decision, but says it does fall within the law.
On Friday, a CTV reporter put the following question to Oppal:
If there is concern. If you're not thrilled about the decision, why not go back and reopen it and make that right?
Here is Oppal's response.
"That's a good question. Just because we're unhappy about the results doesn't mean there's an appeal in law, a review in law. There has to be some basis upon which we can say this is wrong."
This time, the law allowed for Karbovanec to walk out of court, free on bail. He's living at home, driving his car, followed everywhere by police.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Anna Gebauer