PC riding group shelved after sex raps surface
Posted By RAYMOND BOWE
The Ontario PC Party has dissolved its Barrie riding association after two board members were charged with gang sexual assault.
Riding association president Sarfraz Warraich, 42, of Barrie, has been charged with gang sexual assault and attempting to obstruct justice.
A second board member, 43-year-old Barrie resident Arif Mehmood, has also been charged with gang sexual assault.
Warraich turned down several requests to resign, according to two board members.
"I'm quite disgusted, actually," said board member Pat Hebert. "To me, it's just unconscionable, the charges, and that this gentleman has not stepped aside."
Warraich, a mortgage agent, was elected riding association president April 28.
When reached by The Barrie Examiner, yesterday afternoon, Warriach directed questions to his lawyer, David Wilcox, who did not immediately return phone calls.
Also charged with gang sexual assault are Ashfaq Gondal, 50, of Barrie; Sardar Muhammad, 45, of Barrie; and Zaidy Hussian, 37, of Innisfil. None of them are linked to the riding association, according to sources.
All five men -- four of whom have their occupations on court documents listed as taxi drivers -- are scheduled to appear in court next Wednesday.
An interpreter in Erdu, an official language in Pakistan, has also been requested for the court proceedings.
There is a publication ban on information that could identify the complainant or witnesses.
The charges were laid a few weeks ago, but city police never made them public.
The alleged incident happened between March 1 and April 29, according to court documents.
In a PC party memo obtained by the Examiner, an executive meeting was held yesterday morning to review recent developments.
"A decision was made by the PC Party of Ontario to withdraw recognition of the association effective immediately," the memo says. "The association is no longer authorized to conduct business or represent itself as a recognized association under the auspices of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario."
At the local association's Tuesday meeting, a motion was passed requesting that Warraich and Mehmood vacate their positions until the criminal charges have been resolved. That motion was sent to party headquarters.
One board member said Warraich stepped down Tuesday before recanting his resignation on Wednesday, followed by the party dissolving the entire association yesterday.
After the matter is resolved in the courts, the provincial party executive says "a spirit of co-operation will emerge among the Barrie board and the executive" leading up to the 2011 general election.
In the meantime, regional vice-president Sylvia Mayes will serve as liaison between the Barrie association and the party. A meeting has yet to be arranged, however.
The sexual assault allegations and resignation refusal fractured the local association, and also led to at least three board members quitting.
"I'm quite upset about this. This, to me, is just something I want to stay away from," said Hebert, a local businessman, adding he's trying to distance himself from the situation.
"To me, the PC party has always been about law and order, but I also understand someone is innocent until proven guilty," Hebert added.
Barrie police said there were reasons why the charges were never made public.
"Our duty is to protect victims," Barrie police Sgt. Robert Allan said. "Sometimes the integrity of the investigation ... outweighs what the public needs to know."
Allan said the investigation "absolutely" continues, "from a number of different perspectives. There are a number of civilian persons involved in the investigation.
"Not all are suspects or victims, but they do fall under a general umbrella," he said, including potential suspects, victims, accused and complainants. "It could be any number, or both."
Allan declined to comment further.
"There's just not a whole lot we can say," the sergeant said. "It's a delicate matter, so we're reluctant to comment on it."
The riding association organizes activities for the provincial PC party in the riding, elects delegates to provincial PC conventions, and holds a nomination meeting to select the party's local candidate in a provincial election.
Barrie MP Patrick Brown said the Barrie Progressive Conservative Riding Association is separate from its federal counterpart, led by Bonnie Ainsworth.
Posted By RAYMOND BOWE
The Ontario PC Party has dissolved its Barrie riding association after two board members were charged with gang sexual assault.
Riding association president Sarfraz Warraich, 42, of Barrie, has been charged with gang sexual assault and attempting to obstruct justice.
A second board member, 43-year-old Barrie resident Arif Mehmood, has also been charged with gang sexual assault.
Warraich turned down several requests to resign, according to two board members.
"I'm quite disgusted, actually," said board member Pat Hebert. "To me, it's just unconscionable, the charges, and that this gentleman has not stepped aside."
Warraich, a mortgage agent, was elected riding association president April 28.
When reached by The Barrie Examiner, yesterday afternoon, Warriach directed questions to his lawyer, David Wilcox, who did not immediately return phone calls.
Also charged with gang sexual assault are Ashfaq Gondal, 50, of Barrie; Sardar Muhammad, 45, of Barrie; and Zaidy Hussian, 37, of Innisfil. None of them are linked to the riding association, according to sources.
All five men -- four of whom have their occupations on court documents listed as taxi drivers -- are scheduled to appear in court next Wednesday.
An interpreter in Erdu, an official language in Pakistan, has also been requested for the court proceedings.
There is a publication ban on information that could identify the complainant or witnesses.
The charges were laid a few weeks ago, but city police never made them public.
The alleged incident happened between March 1 and April 29, according to court documents.
In a PC party memo obtained by the Examiner, an executive meeting was held yesterday morning to review recent developments.
"A decision was made by the PC Party of Ontario to withdraw recognition of the association effective immediately," the memo says. "The association is no longer authorized to conduct business or represent itself as a recognized association under the auspices of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario."
At the local association's Tuesday meeting, a motion was passed requesting that Warraich and Mehmood vacate their positions until the criminal charges have been resolved. That motion was sent to party headquarters.
One board member said Warraich stepped down Tuesday before recanting his resignation on Wednesday, followed by the party dissolving the entire association yesterday.
After the matter is resolved in the courts, the provincial party executive says "a spirit of co-operation will emerge among the Barrie board and the executive" leading up to the 2011 general election.
In the meantime, regional vice-president Sylvia Mayes will serve as liaison between the Barrie association and the party. A meeting has yet to be arranged, however.
The sexual assault allegations and resignation refusal fractured the local association, and also led to at least three board members quitting.
"I'm quite upset about this. This, to me, is just something I want to stay away from," said Hebert, a local businessman, adding he's trying to distance himself from the situation.
"To me, the PC party has always been about law and order, but I also understand someone is innocent until proven guilty," Hebert added.
Barrie police said there were reasons why the charges were never made public.
"Our duty is to protect victims," Barrie police Sgt. Robert Allan said. "Sometimes the integrity of the investigation ... outweighs what the public needs to know."
Allan said the investigation "absolutely" continues, "from a number of different perspectives. There are a number of civilian persons involved in the investigation.
"Not all are suspects or victims, but they do fall under a general umbrella," he said, including potential suspects, victims, accused and complainants. "It could be any number, or both."
Allan declined to comment further.
"There's just not a whole lot we can say," the sergeant said. "It's a delicate matter, so we're reluctant to comment on it."
The riding association organizes activities for the provincial PC party in the riding, elects delegates to provincial PC conventions, and holds a nomination meeting to select the party's local candidate in a provincial election.
Barrie MP Patrick Brown said the Barrie Progressive Conservative Riding Association is separate from its federal counterpart, led by Bonnie Ainsworth.
just a random sample)
