Port Moody Mayor Rob Vagramov has announced he is taking a leave of absence after being charged with a single count of sexual assault.

The charge against the 28-year-old politician was approved by special prosecutor Michael Klein, who was appointed to investigate the allegations in December 2018.

On Thursday, Vagramov called the allegation against him "false," adding that he will fight it in court.

"When the allegation surfaced during the election campaign last year, I was horrified and taken completely by surprise," he told reporters. "The tale grew as it was being told, and I want to be absolutely clear: this allegation is false."

The mayor said he also intends to file a defamation lawsuit "for this continued attack on my character."
 

'I said no': Alleged victim’s letter makes allegation against mayor

According to court documents, the charge relates to an incident that's alleged to have happened between April and July 2015 in Coquitlam – the same period referred to by a woman who reached out to CTV News in the fall claiming to be the victim.

"Things turned sour quickly," the woman alleged in a letter to CTV News. "He tried to force his hands into my pants. I said no and turned around to face him. He pinned my body to the barrier with his and tried to force his hands down my pants. I had to continue saying no."

Vagramov said he has been co-operating with authorities working on the case and has passed a polygraph test which he has passed on to authorities.

The charge against him has not been proven in court.
 

Vagramov can't stay on: councillors

According to the mayor, there is an alternate mayor schedule in place that draws from Port Moody's current city councillors.

"For us the priority of the city is to ensure that the business of the city continues. We don’t want our voters and our partners in the community to lose faith in our integrity as a body," Coun. Meghan Lahti said.

Zoe Royer, another councillor, said "Canada is a democracy where we are innocent until proven guilty, but having said that, there is a deep burden on the community."

In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, the City of Port Moody confirmed it had approved a paid leave of absence for Vagramov, adding that council "expressed their support for the mayor’s decision to step aside at this time to prepare a defence pertaining to a personal legal matter which is now before the courts."

Coun. Diana Dilworth is the current acting mayor, the release said.

The B.C. Prosecution Service announced the charge against Vagramov in a press release Thursday.

"Michael Klein, Q.C., was appointed special prosecutor in relation to an investigation of a sexual assault alleged to have occurred in Coquitlam in 2015. The suspect was alleged to be Mr. Robert Vagramov, the current mayor of Port Moody," the service said.

The question of whether a sitting mayor or councillor should resign is an ongoing issue. A proposal at the Union of B.C. Municipalities suggested that mayors and councillors convicted of serious crimes should have to step down, and those charged should take a paid leave.

Pitt Meadows Councillor Dave Murray was convicted of sexual touching in 2018, and was convinced to resign by his fellow representatives.

But in 2008, former Port Coquitlam Mayor Scott Young was convicted of two counts of assault after he broke into the garage of his ex-girlfriend. Young refused calls to resign, and remained mayor until the election, when he was soundly defeated.

Vagramov was criticized during the election for a profanity-laden video where he asked a homeless man to chug a beer with him in exchange for a sandwich.

In a video posted to Facebook during the campaign, Vagramov claimed he was “fresh out of college” and his heart was in the right place.

Vagramov's leave of absence will begin on Friday and he is expected to appear in court on April 25.