Byelection scandal: Lougheed Jr. to appear in court in May

There’s a new hearing date and a potential court date in the case against prominent Sudburian, Gerry Lougheed Jr.

Lougheed was charged in September in connection with a scandal that emerged in late 2014 during the Sudbury provincial byelection.

A funeral director who has raised money for several causes in the city, Lougheed is charged with one count of Counselling an Offence Not Committed [Section 464 (a) of the Criminal Code] and one count of Unlawfully Influencing or Negotiating Appointments [Section 125 (b) of the Criminal Code].

The charges were laid following an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police's Anti-Rackets Branch that began in January of this year. That's when former Liberal candidate Andrew Olivier released recordings of a conversation with Lougheed in which Olivier's future as a candidate was discussed. Those recordings led to the charges.

Today in court in Sudbury, May 10 was chosen as the date for a confirmation hearing in the case. Lougheed is to attend that hearing, which will be his first court appearance in the case.

Before that though, the next date in the case is March 31.

As for a trial — if the case, in fact, goes to trial — it will be held over three weeks in July.

Lougheed's lawyer, Michael Lacy of Greenspan Partners Lacy, said after a November hearing in Sudbury he doesn't think the Crown has a winnable case.

"We don't believe there were any basis to charge him, in the circumstances,” said Lacy, who wasn't present at Wednesday's proceedings. “The police obviously saw that differently. The Crown now is prosecuting the matter. So he's not happy to be charged, obviously, (because) from his perspective he didn't do anything wrong.” 

Northern Life will be updating this story shortly.