Toronto police chief, board chair in favour of corruption inquiry

'Those matters were dealt with'

Blair told CBC that the two whistleblowers don't have all the facts about whether unearthed cases resulted in further investigations or charges.

He noted the two did a good job while serving on the task force, but they weren't privy to the decision-making process of those higher-ups who decided which cases should be pursued and who should be charged.

"They don't have complete knowledge and I think that's important," said Blair. "The allegations of misconduct not pertaining to the subjects of their criminal investigation ... those matters were dealt with by other people."

He said many of the cases have been dealt with.

Public inquiry must wait

Mukherjee said Thursday he will present his recommendation for a public inquiry to Toronto Mayor David Miller and board colleagues at the next police board meeting on Tuesday.

Mukherjee notes that only Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant can call for a public inquiry, but he warns that any inquiry would have to wait so as not to jeopardize criminal cases scheduled for the courts in January 2008.

Six former drug officers are awaiting trials on dozens of criminal charges, ranging from conspiracy to perjury, theft and assault. No allegations have been proven in court and all officers deny wrongdoing.

There are already worries the cases could be tossed out because of defence legal challenges such as unreasonable delay.

The board chair said he has had continuing discussions with prosecutors at Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General, and they are well aware of his desire for a public inquiry to begin once charges against the six officers are resolved.

Wants to speak with head of task force

Mukherjee said he wants to speak directly with whistleblower Neal Ward about his concerns that the task force failed to address a lengthy list of additional allegations of police involved in criminal activity.

Ward told CBC earlier this week that while the special task force began probing original allegations of corruption among the members of one drug squad team, a number of other cases were unearthed.

Sources told CBC that the list of 14 cases includes allegations that officers on one team ran a drug ring, and another drug team allegedly stole millions from suspects.

Mukherjee is also calling for the former head of the task force, RCMP Staff Supt. John Neily, to step forward and explain whether his investigation was ever hampered, interfered with or left with loose ends.

"He was in charge of the investigation," said Mukherjee. "He should be able to clarify the reasons why the investigation went the way it did."

More information about how the task force was conducted should be revealed next week when Toronto police Chief Bill Blair makes public the findings of an internal "procedural review."

It came in response to complaints from task force member and whistleblower Jim Cassells that the task force failed to pursue a number of cases.

Report recommended task force

Allegations of criminal activity first came to light in 1999. Several suspects started lawsuits against officers in Toronto's Central Field Command's drug squad involving accusations of false arrest, assault and battery. That later snowballed with an unrelated RCMP investigation.

In 2001, then police Chief Julian Fantino started a special task force to probe accusations. He maintained the incidents were isolated.

The task force investigated allegations from 2001 to 2004 at an estimated cost of $8 million. It led to criminal charges being laid against the six officers. Four others were named as unindicted co-conspirators.

The task force was set up following an internal affairs report by then inspector Tony Corrie, who recommended a task force to bring the police issues to the "forefront." But the report also stated the task force would avert a potentially "embarrassing" public investigation.

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