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Trial continues on Red Pheasant FN corruption allegations

Apr 5, 2018 | 9:40 AM

The Red Pheasant First Nation was front and centre yesterday in a Saskatoon court to hear allegations of vote buying.

Michelle Good, the applicant, alleged to court that perspective stafff rented a hotel room to buy votes during advanced polling.

Opening arguments began on Tuesday at Court of Queen’s Bench in Saskatoon as Good, a band member, lawyer and applicant in the case, alleged Chief Clint Wuttunee and several council members of partaking in corruption regarding the March 2016 election.

Good started the day off with sworn affidavits from two band members who claim they went to the advanced polls at the Ramada Inn in Saskatoon on March 10, 2016, and were paid for their votes.

According to the affidavits, current Chief, Clint Wuttunee, rented out a room in a local hotel where he and council candidates had money prepared for those who could prove they voted for him and the council candidates.

One account claimed a woman entered the room with two other band members and were given $60 each after providing a picture of their filled out ballot which had Wuttunee and the councillors selected.

Good submitted a text message conversation between Chief Wuttunee and a band member where he said he provided money to “keep him from straying to Baptiste,” referring to another candidate running for Chief.

Good said this shows clear admitted corruption on the part of Wuttunee and was one of the main points in her argument.

Good also brought up several cases where band members who decided to come forward and submit sworn affidavits admitting they sold their votes and or ballots to Wuttunee, were bribed by the Chief to recant their testimony.  

Good said one of the band member said Clint contacted him after receiving his affidavit. According to Good, the person in question said Clint sent him a picture of the affidavit and asked if he did in fact submitted it.  

The applicant said Wutenee then offered the person alcohol and money to create a new affidavit to recant the last. The person claimed he was given a 60 ounce bottle of Captain Morgan’s Rum and paid upwards of $2,000 over a period of time to not only retract the previous statement, but not to show up to the cross examination of the new affidavit clearing Wuttunee.

Good said this person received a check from the band for $700, which was cashed at Money Mart on the same day he failed to show up for cross examination.

The applicant also claimed Wuttunee knew this person was an alcoholic and a drug addict, and took advantage of his illnesses to get him to recant.

Good brought up another example of a band member who admitted they were also bribed to change their original affidavit by Wuttunee. According to Good, the person tried to retract their statement by claiming they were intoxicated at the time they made the affidavit and wouldn’t have said the same things if sober.

Good said the person submitted the affidavit at North Battleford City Hall and no commissioner there would have accepted it from someone who was intoxicated.

Another sworn affidavit submitted by Good provideds testimony of a woman who provided e-transfer transactions from Wuttunee, council candidates and family members of candidates, which she claimed was for her vote. Good said the respondents will claim that Chief and council were trying to help her out, but said it is clear in the affidavit the money was for her vote.

Good provided evidence of seven separate transactions the woman received during the election.

Good also provided and affidavit from a band member who witnessed candidates walking in large numbers of ballots to the reserve voting station.

According to Good, there are legitimate reasons why someone can submit another’s ballot, like physical ailments, but this was not one of those cases. Goods argument was, it is highly suspicious when candidates are walking in significant number of ballots.

Good then brought up an affidavit by Sandra Arias, a former councillor. Arias’ statement said her tenure on council was a fractious time as she was in opposition to much of the decisions made by council because she deemed them harmful to the community.

She added being in opposition made things difficult for her. Arias gave evidence of physical and psychological intimidation. She accused Wuttunee, other councillors and their family members of verbally abusing her in a small room for not cooperating with them.

She claimed to receive financial retaliations as her by-weekly honorarium was withheld for her final year as councillor. She said she still received her paid salary, but not her honorarium.

According to Arias, she witnessed corruption during her tenure and was against it, which caused more problems. She added in the 2016 election she was offered 80 ballots to join Wuttunee and other candidates vying for a seat in council if she would stop opposing them. Arias said she didn’t take the deal and originally wasn’t going to admit it happened out of fear of retaliation, but decided to in Jan 2017.

Good wrapped up her argument by admitting a lot of the evidence provided is hearsay, but said hearsay needs to have weight and be considered in cases like these. She provided other examples of similar electoral corruption cases where hearsay has been given weight in the final decision.

She said in these cases it is to be expected there won’t be corroborating evidence. Good added in this case there was cross examination of some witnesses along with a paper trail of e-transfers. In Good’s summation she said her evidence was not impeached.

Good ended the day by saying it is important that some people who openly took part in vote buying have come forward in a an effort to end corruption. She said they have nothing to gain from it except stress and abuse.

Lawyers representing the band council were not able to have their argument heard due to time restraints. Court will resume Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

 

As this topic is still before the courts, comments are closed.

 

Greg.higgins@jpbg.ca

On Twitter @realgreghiggins