Newspaper investigation finds no truth to El-Chantiry allegations
By Jake Davies - West Carleton Online
WEST CARLETON – While the Ontario Provincial Police have just started their investigation, the Ottawa Citizen reports it has found “no truth” to the allegations made against Coun. Eli El-Chantiry on recently released audio tapes.
Earlier in the month several audio recordings were released on YouTube containing a voice alleged to be Ottawa Police member and union leader Matt Skoff and a civilian. Skoff denies that is his voice on the recording. The civilian is unidentified.
The conversation included, among other things, unsubstantiated claims about El-Chantiry.
Last Monday (July 23), police Chief Charles Bordeleau filed a “chief’s complaint” and requested an OPP investigation.
“The fact that this false information is being released and distributed has prompted me to launch a chief’s complaint,” the chief said in a prepared statement immediately following Monday’s police services board meeting. “That investigation will be focused directly on the origins of the recordings and the individuals involved. To ensure transparency and impartiality, I am requesting that an outside police service conduct this investigation and I won’t be making any further comments.”
Bordeleau added there is no investigation involving Coun. El-Chantiry.
Yesterday, The Citizen informed El-Chantiry their further reporting found no truth to the allegations made against El-Chantiry contained within the recordings made public.
The Citizen also stated it had further evidence the voice on the recordings do indeed belong to Skof.
El-Chantiry’s lawyer Ronald Caza wrote in a letter to various media outlets his client will remain mum on this issue.
“Chief Bordeleau has confirmed the OPP is conducting an investigation on the origins of the recordings and the individuals involved,” Caza wrote. “As such, Coun. El-Chantiry trusts this investigation will clarify many of the questions surrounding the origin of the recordings that were released. He will not comment on the issue until the OPP investigation has been completed.”
Once again I have to ask why Chief Bordeleau refers to “false” information if he and his police force have not conducted an investigation into the allegations made against Councillor El-Chantiry. There cannot be two standards set for citizens. If I or a neighbour was accused of a crime we would be considered innocent until proven guilty but the accusations would not be declared to be false until that was proven as well but how could they be if there was no investigation?
Our community has not been getting any reports on crime in this area but rumours abound. Many do not feel as safe as we did when we had a police station in the middle of West Carleton dedicated to looking after our area. We still have not heard what happened on Carp Road on the day a car was set on fire. Is it true there was a body or bodies inside? Now our councillor has been accused of unknown crimes and we are expected to go ahead with an election in November without knowing if there will be an investigation into these accusations completed by then. This should not be.