CANADA
Hamilton Spectator
The Ministry of the Attorney General is likely looking at ways to justify a controversial legal resolution that permitted a charged priest to leave Hamilton for Brazil, says a legal expert.
The more time it takes for the ministry to investigate the case of Rev. Jose Silva, the less chance it has been able to justify it, Alan Young, an associate professor of the Osgoode Hall Law School at York University told the Spectator.
Young was commenting on the ongoing ministry investigation of an unusual deal between the Hamilton Crown Attorney’s Office and a defence counsel that permitted Silva, 34, to return to his native Brazil without facing prosecution for a sexual assault charge. Silva left Hamilton May 4. A countrywide warrant was put in place that would see the charge proceed in the event Silva retuned to Canada.
“We know the deal is unusual and it cries out for some justification. The reality is they (ministry officials) understand the general public would not support a deal of this nature.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.