'ROTTEN COPS' HIS FEAR

Man Who Claimed to Have Been Offered 'Hit' Contract on Paul Martin
Says RCMP Reneged on Immunity Deal

BRAMPTON -- An immunity deal between the RCMP and a man who claims he
was offered a contract to kill Paul Martin was never discussed with
other police out of fear they were crooked, court heard yesterday.

Vincent Brown, an accused drug trafficker and former police informant,
wants his drug charges dropped because he claims he had an immunity
deal with the RCMP that they broke.

He testified at an abuse of process hearing yesterday that he kept the
immunity deal with national security officials quiet because he
couldn't trust other cops.

Videotaped

"Back to the Paul Martin story," he told federal Crown Surinder Singh
Aujla. "There are rotten cops involved."

Aujla was grilling Brown on videotaped statements he gave to police at
the end of May and beginning of June in 2003.

Aujla asked why there is no mention on any of the tapes of the
immunity agreement Brown claims he had.

Brown's answer, which he gave repeatedly, was simple.

He said he thought he already had an immunity deal and did not need to
raise the matter again -- particularly with police he did not know.

"Think of me as a soldier who is captured," he said. "I am not going
to reveal anything."

Brown was questioned by police repeatedly about drugs and firearms
charges he faced. The firearms charges never went further than a
preliminary hearing because the Crown didn't have enough evidence to
go to trial.

Aujla spent little court time yesterday on the substance of the threat
against Martin, and focused his questions on Brown's claim he had a
deal for immunity.

Brown goes to trial on allegations he was part of a cocaine
trafficking operation in April.

Offered a Contract

He testified in court Tuesday that he was offered a contract in
December 2002 to kill Martin. At the time, Martin was federal finance
minister and front-runner in the race to replace PM Jean Chretien.

The man he claimed offered him the contract, worth up to $300,000, had
offered a similar contract to another unnamed person who took off with
the money.

Brown testified he was offered immunity from his drug charges in
exchange for taking a lie detector test and information about the
contract on Martin.

He passed the test on May 31, 2003 and the RCMP took the information
seriously enough that they boosted Martin's security detail.

Brown's abuse of process hearing is expected to continue in March.