A total of 12 charges have been laid in connection to an illegal pamphlet that circulated in former solicitor general Kash Heed's Vancouver-Fraserview riding days before last year's election, though Heed himself has escaped all charges.

Kash Heed's campaign manager Barinder Sall is facing three criminal charges -- including two counts of obstruction of justice -- and three charges under the Election Act.

Dinesh Khanna, whose printing company North American Mailing Service Ltd. produced the pamphlets, faces two criminal charges for obstruction of justice and three Election Act charges.

Satpal Johl, financial officer for the campaign, is also facing one count under the Election Act related to improperly recording campaign finances.

The charges were all approved in Vancouver provincial court on Monday.

Special Prosecutor Terrence Robertson has not, however, approved any charges against Heed.

According to a press release from the province's Criminal Justice Branch, "There is no evidence that Mr. Heed was either involved in the production of the pamphlets or had direct knowledge of the pamphlets."

Robertson also found no evidence that Heed was aware of any alleged false financial reports filed by Johl.

Heed resigned as solicitor general on April 9, after it was revealed that the RCMP were conducting an investigation into his campaign.

He told reporters Monday afternoon that he had not been informed of any charges being laid, and said that he has not recently been in contact with Sall.

"I'm still confident I've done absolutely nothing wrong," Heed said.

The Chinese-language pamphlets at the centre of the scandal contained several allegedly false statements about the NDP's policies -- they were deemed illegal because they didn't contain the required information about who paid for them.

The pamphlets linked the NDP with prominent criminals, and warned that the party would support, among other things, legalizing heroin and instituting an inheritance tax.

Details of the obstruction charges

The criminal obstruction charges against both Sall and Khanna relate to allegedly false statements given to police officers conducting an investigation into the illegal pamphlets.

According to court documents, Khanna provided police investigators with the telephone number for a "fictitious individual" by the name of "Jag." The charges allege that Sall then pretended to be "Jag."

Once again, Robertson did not find evidence to connect Heed with the alleged scheme.

"A court would likely find that, even with the exercise of reasonable diligence, Kash Heed could not have known about the conduct of Barinder Sall and Dinesh Khanna," the Criminal Justice release said.

Opposition NDP responds

Heed won Vancouver-Fraserview by fewer than 750 votes over NDP candidate Gabriel Yiu.

Yiu told ctvbc.ca that while the charges represent a step in the right direction, they also raise some questions, which he hopes to see answered in court.

"If it is ruled that Kash Heed's campaign is responsible for the dirty tricks, what happens then?" Yiu asked.

"The question is whether he's still a legitimate MLA for that riding."

Despite Heed's apparent absolution from any wrongdoing, the NDP's public safety critic Mike Farnworth told reporters that it is too soon for a return to cabinet for the former solicitor general.

"These are serious charges against the two most senior people in the campaign," Farnworth said.

"I don't think that he should be back in cabinet until after the court case is finished."

He noted that the penalties for certain Election Act charges -- particularly campaign overspending -- include forfeiture of the candidate's seat in the legislature.