Pubdate: Fri, 24 Nov 2006
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact:  http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Alan Cairns, Toronto Sun

TIME RAN OUT ON COP PROBE?

Ex-Chief Fantino 'Obviously' Shut Down Police Corruption Task Force, 
Lawyer Alleges

The lawyer for a former pizza store owner who claims more than 
$220,000 went missing after a 1999 Toronto Police drug raid asserts 
that the head of the RCMP-led cop corruption task force told him the 
massive probe was shut down because of "a problem with time and resources."

Lawyer Peter Biro said special task force head RCMP Chief-Supt. John 
Neily, now an assistant commissioner, told him the reason he was 
given for the 2003 probe being shut down after police cancelled two 
scheduled interviews with his client, pizza store owner Milos Markovic.

"The chief superintendent told me that it wasn't his decision ... and 
that it wasn't his choice ... that the work of the task force was at 
an end ... there was a problem of time and resources," Biro said in 
an interview yesterday.

Biro said the order to close the probe "obviously" came from former 
chief Julian Fantino, now OPP commissioner.

"He did shut down the task force. The task force was not shut down by 
. Neily. The task force was shut down by the office that appointed it 
in the first place. That's how independent this task force was in the 
first place," he said.

Biro said he decided to go public about Neily's comments for the 
first time yesterday after current Chief Bill Blair publicly defended 
the task force's scope and integrity and noted that it was the 
largest probe ever in Canadian police history and that $8 million and 
many thousands of hours were spent on it.

"What he didn't tell you is that they were not given a chance to 
complete their work," Biro said.

Fantino said through an aide yesterday that he would "prefer not to 
comment ... at this particular time."

Former task force member and "whistle-blower" Sgt. Jim Cassells has 
alleged that "numerous" allegations of wrongdoing uncovered during 
the three-year Neily task force probe were either minimized, ignored 
or swept under the rug by senior officers.

Another former task force member, retired Sgt. Neal Ward, has 
supported Cassells' assertions, saying Cassells is mostly "quite correct."

Toronto Police Services Board chairman Alok Mukherjee said Wednesday 
that he would "welcome" a public inquiry as long as it does not 
jeopardize criminal charges against six former drug squad cops that 
are currently before the courts. He stressed yesterday that any 
decision to call an inquiry rests with the province, but he would 
embrace one if it were called.

As revealed by the Toronto Sun earlier this week, an internal report 
written by then-Insp. Tony Corrie recommended months before the task 
force was created that a task force would bring the issues to the 
"forefront" and at the same time "avert" a public inquiry.

Biro said that while he is "relieved and pleased" Muk-herjee welcomes 
a public inq-uiry he is concerned about "the passage of time that 
will have gone by, before this matter really gets the kind of 
scrutiny, or public airing it needs to get."

In January, 2004, the Neily task force laid a total of 40 criminal 
charges against Staff-Sgt. John Schertzer and five former drug squad 
subordinates -- Steve Corriea, Ray Pollard, Rick Benoit, Ned Maodus 
and Joe Miched -- on allegations that they had conspired to take cash 
and drugs from suspected drug dealers. All but Benoit were committed 
to trial on conspiracy charges in June. Benoit will be tried for an 
alleged assault. All the officers deny the allegations

Sources say one of the cases that former task force members was not 
fully probed was the Markovic case.

In a statement of claim filed in Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 
2000, Markovic and his wife, Natasa, seek $1.35 million in damages on 
allegations that large amounts of Canadian and American cash and 
other goods were stolen after an Oct. 28, 1999 raid on their Maestro 
Pizza store, located at 896 Wilson Ave., and at their house in Richmond Hill.

The statement of claim contains allegations that have not been tested 
in court. In a statement of defence the officers named in the lawsuit 
denied any wrongdoing.

The Markovics allege police seized about $397,000 and never returned 
more than $220,000. Drug trafficking charges against Markovic were 
ultimately stayed without explanation.

Biro said Markovic asserts he was never a drug dealer and alleges 
that amounts of cocaine were planted in his house and pizza store.

The Markovics lost their pizza store due to the cash that was lost, Biro said.

"A task force claims to have completed its investigation without 
interviewing subjects who are central to the investigation ... key 
witnesses in the entire story," Biro said.
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