Re: 鈥淐rown drops breach-of-trust case against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman,鈥� May 9.
On Wednesday, charges of breach of trust were stayed against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman in Ottawa; two years ago, he was stripped of his position as second-in-command of the Canadian Forces, when accused of leaking cabinet secrets.
The judge, the prosecutor and the defence lawyer all denied that political interference had taken place, but in statements following the court proceedings, the admiral鈥檚 admirable lawyer made no mistake in her articulate insinuations that the charges and all that followed were politically motivated.
With the federal election looming on the horizon, the opposition parties are calling for an official inquiry, while the admiral and his advocate will most likely be giving lengthy media interviews with details damaging to the Liberal government. Spinmeisters from all ends of the political spectrum are in full gear, but the focus should really be on trying to restore the admiral鈥檚 shredded reputation.
Back in the 1980s, there was a notable case of political motivation when U.S. president Ronald Reagan鈥檚 secretary of labour, Ray Donovan, was indicted on larceny and fraud charges for his past work with a construction company accused of having Mafia ties. After a sensational eight-month trial, he and his six co-accused were exonerated by the jury, who deliberated for only 10 hours.
Donovan met hordes of reporters on the courthouse steps and asked: 鈥淲hich office do I go to to get my reputation back?鈥� Chances are that Norman will be asking a similar question.
Bernie Smith
Parksville
