Friday, April 27, 2018

HILLIER'S ALLEGATIONS ENTIRELY FACTUAL

    The investigation was triggered by a complaint in February from Tory legislator Randy Hillier, who alleged Brown "engaged in dirty and crooked politics."
   Brown, in his first filings to the integrity watchdog in February, called Hillier's allegations "entirely fictional" and a "crass attempt to spin the legal as illegal." In a second filing and later interviews, Brown admitted to certain breaches, Wake noted.
    At the core of the complaint was Brown's 2016 purchase of a $2.3 million five-bedroom lakefront home in his riding of Simcoe-North. In order to close the deal Brown was required by the bank to pay a $575,000 down payment but only had $200,000 himself from the sale of his previous home, Wake's investigation noted.
    Initially, Brown arranged a deal with Johal, who was a personal friend, to sell him his stake in a Barrie, Ont. bar and some Aeroplan miles for $375,000, Wake's decision said. That deal was later dropped and Johal instead loaned Brown the money, the men told Wake during separate interviews.
   "It is clear to me that the non-disclosure was deliberate and not through inadvertence," Wake said in his decision.

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