FANTINO DENIES FORCE RIFE WITH CORRUPTION

30-Month Inquiry: Drug Squad Issues 'Being Dealt With'

TORONTO - Toronto police chief Julian Fantino says a 30-month internal
investigation of a now disbanded drug squad did not uncover widespread
evidence of corruption.

Chief Fantino confirmed yesterday that internal disciplinary
proceedings may be initiated against former drug squad officers who
are not facing criminal charges.

However, he insisted the task force did not uncover systemic problems
in the former Central Field Command drug squad.

"Over 2 1/2 years, as the investigation progressed, the allegations
against the remaining officers that have appeared in today's media
were fully investigated but not supported by evidence," said Chief
Fantino.

"Whatever issues fall out from this investigation, they either have
been dealt with or they are being dealt with," said the chief at a
news conference yesterday.

Six veteran officers were charged earlier this month with 22 counts of
perjury, theft, extortion and assault related charges. Four other
former drug-squad colleagues were named as unindicted co-conspirators,
which means their past conduct may be used in the prosecution of the
six charged officers.

The corruption allegations have also resulted in the staying of
charges in more than 200 drug prosecutions in Toronto, dating back to
1996.

Affidavits made public this week by the Ontario Court of Appeal
revealed the internal task force, led by RCMP Chief Supt. John Neily,
found evidence of "criminal activity" by as many as 17 officers.

The allegations included theft of money and drugs during raids,
trafficking, threats against witnesses and even the sale of weapons to
drug dealers.

The findings outlined in a series of task force affidavits, appear to
contradict the assertions of Chief Fantino that the allegations were
"not supported by evidence."

The task force indicated it had "isolated significant criminal
behaviour on the part of 12 serving Toronto Police Service officers
against whom I believe I have reasonable and probably grounds to
believe they have committed serious criminal offences," said Chief
Supt. Neily in an affidavit file in June 2003.

The task force evidence was turned over to the Ontario Ministry of the
Attorney General, which has suffered a number of high-profile defeats
in recent prosecutions of Toronto police officers.

It eventually decided to lay charges against only six of the officers
under investigation.

The task force was required by the Court of Appeal to file the
affidavits, every six months since July 2001, to explain why it should
continue to seal information that led to the sudden release of
convicted heroin trafficker.

When criminal charges were announced Jan. 5, the Appeal Court unsealed
the documents and it lifted a publication ban on the information in
the affidavits Monday.

Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant has refused to call a public
inquiry into the corruption allegations. A spokesman for the minister
said yesterday he would have no further comment because "the matter is
now before the court."

"We have a terrific police force, but the comments of a chief
superintendent of the RCMP have to be taken seriously," Toronto Mayor
David Miller said.

The impact of the task force findings, however, may not be limited to
the criminal charges or any internal disciplinary proceedings filed
under the Police Act. The allegations could also result in another
wave of civil lawsuits being filed against the force and the Police
Services Board.

The task force identified 28 cases where there was suspected "criminal
misconduct" by drug squad officers.

Convictions were registered in at least 14 of these proceedings, which
all took place in the late 1990s. The federal Department of Justice,
which handles all drug prosecutions, said it was not aware of the
misconduct allegations in these cases until the task force affidavits
were unsealed earlier this month.

The police services board has already settled three of at least seven
lawsuits that were previously filed against drug squad officers, but
it has refused to make public any details of the agreements.

More than $100,000 in damages was paid to Simon Yeung, a convicted
heroin dealer whose prosecution triggered the task force
investigation.

The police services board also agreed to a $50,000 settlement last
fall with a Vietnamese woman and her two young sons. The settlement
included a formal apology to the family by a senior member of the
Toronto police force.

The family had claimed it was terrorized by several officers, who were
part of a unit of the Central Field Command drug squad that is not
currently facing any criminal charges.

Some of these same officers have been accused of the theft of hundreds
of thousands of dollars from bank safety deposit boxes during the
execution of search warrants.

The task force investigated these allegations and found that while
there was not a basis to lay criminal charges, "the cases show a
suspicious pattern of similar behaviour."