Toronto: A former Indo-Canadian MP has been
discharged by a court here after pleading guilty to careless
driving and was fined while charges of possessing cocaine were
dropped by the prosecutor.
Rahim Jaffer, married to federal Tory cabinet minister
Helena Guergis, Minister of State for Status of Women, was
discharged because there was no reasonable prospect of
conviction, Crown attorney Marie Balogh told the court.
Judge Doug Maund said he could read "between the lines"
of evidence and fined him Canadian Dollar 500. "I'm sure you
can recognise a break when you see one," Maund told Jaffer.
The charges of possessing cocaine and excessive alcohol
in his blood while driving were dropped against 38-year-old
Jaffer who was once a rising political star in Canada and
became the youngest non-white MP in Canada in 1997.
Late yesterday, the 'Toronto Star' cited sources saying
the more serious charges were dropped against Jaffer because a
rookie Ontario Provincial Police officer failed to follow
proper procedures when he strip-searched him.
Prosecutors said evidence would be open to challenge.
"I'm sorry. I know this was a serious matter," Jaffer
later said, adding "I know I should have been more careful and
I took full responsibility for my careless driving".
Howard Rubel, Jaffer's lawyer said: "What Jaffer did was
drive without paying attention to how fast he was going."
The initial charge of possessing narcotic was
embarrassing for Jaffer who had approved campaign ads
supporting drug-free schools and getting tough with dealers.
Jaffer had been intercepted shortly before 1 am on
September 10 by the Ontario Provincial Police in the village
of Palgrave, 60 kilometres north of Toronto.
Court heard that an OPP officer clocked Jaffer?s driving
at 93 kilometres per hour in an area where the speed limit is
50 kilometres per hour.
He was arrested after the officer smelled alcohol and
administered a breathalyser test and Jaffer admitted he had
consumed two beers, the court heard.
He was initially charged with driving with more than 80
milligrammes alcohol in one hundred millilitres of blood,
speeding and possession of cocaine.
Kory Teneycke, a former spokesman for Prime Minister
Stephen Harper and a Conservative, asked for more detailed
explanation of the facts yesterday .
"It makes one wonder sometimes if there isn't two levels
of justice, one for high-profile people and another for
everybody else," Teneycke said.
"I think there are probably a lot of Canadians who are
looking at this story right now and wondering how is it that
these charges could be swept aside in such a manner."
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010, 20:25