Two former BC Liberal staffers have been charged following an investigation into the party’s efforts to woo ethnic voters in the 2012 byelection.
A special prosecutor tasked with reviewing the scandal approved Elections Act charges against Brian Bonney and Mark Robertson last week, the Criminal Justice Branch announced Monday.
Bonney, Robertson and a numbered communications corporation are each charged with three counts in connection with candidate Dennis Marsden’s failed campaign in Port Moody-Coquitlam.
The charges relate to alleged election expense violations in the campaign’s hiring of Sepideh Sarrafpou, a Liberal liaison worker who helped organize ethnic events.
The BC Liberals issued a statement Monday blaming the charges on a “misreported” expenditure for $2,240.
“In December 2013, the party filed an amendment to reallocate the expenditure, which Elections BC accepted,” the party said. “The BC Liberal Party takes its financial reporting obligations seriously.”
Defence lawyer David Butcher was appointed as special prosecutor in September, months after the Liberals’ Draft Multicultural Strategic Outreach Plan was leaked.
The RCMP investigation into the scandal is ongoing, and the results are not expected to be delivered to Butcher until next year. The prosecutor could announce further decisions after receiving those results, the Criminal Justice Branch said.
Bonney and Robertson are scheduled to appear in Vancouver court on Oct. 14.
With files from The Canadian Press
