Achi news desk-
HALIFAX –
The Liberal Party of Nova Scotia says its handling of a case where thousands of dollars in public funds were misused by a former employee was “above board” and legal.
Several top officials, including party leader Zach Churchill, appeared before a legislature committee today to speak to a February report on the matter by the state’s auditor general.
In her report, Kim Adair called on the RCMP to investigate the party’s “apparent cover-up” of misuse of funds.
Joseph Khoury, who was president of the party when the theft was discovered in December 2020, says that the Liberal association quickly secured legal counsel when he heard that money was missing.
Khoury says the party followed the advice of its lawyers and forensic auditors and managed to recover $194,000 – a figure that includes the lost funds and investigative and legal costs.
He repeated his claim that the auditor general had misinterpreted the facts of the case, adding that he was not interviewed by Adair’s office until 13 months into the investigation.
But Adair told reporters after today’s hearing that she stood by her report.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 3, 2024.
