After the Court of Queen’s Bench ordered to pay a $ 327,200 bribe to the City, former Winnipeg chief executive Philg Sheegl said he shouldn’t give the full amount because some of the money would go to former mayor Sam Katz.
Last March, Court of Queen’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal found that Mr Sheegl in 2011 had received a bribe from the contractor responsible for building Winnipeg’s new police headquarters, Caspian Construction.
No part of the amount paid to Mr. Sheegl may remain in Mr. Sheegl’s handsJudge Joyal wrote in his decision.
In a subsequent decision in April, Justice Joyal said the bribe should be considered damages resulting from a breach of trust and should be returned to the City.
On May 4, Judge Joyal issued another decision ordering Phil Sheegl to pay $ 1.1 million, the full bribe, as damages, plus his severance pay and other amounts which add to punitive costs. .
The former chief executive’s attorney, Robert Tapper, said his client intends to appeal the decision. So far, however, no appeal has been filed.
Documents filed in court by Phil Sheegl at the end of March indicate half of the $ 327,000 was paid to someone else. Other court documents previously filed say the other recipient of the bribe was former mayor Sam Katz.
Mr. Katz is not a defendant in this case. The judgment does not require him to pay the City. The former mayor of Winnipeg did not respond to a CBC/Radio-Canada interview request.
A land in Arizona
Phil Sheegl says the money he received came from a land deal in Arizona that also involved Sam Katz.
Mr Sheegl said the owner of Caspian Construction, Armik Babakhanians, had allegedly bought parts of the land owned, among others, by the former director and Sam Katz.
Former general manager Mr. Babakhanians still owns an interest in the property in Arizona and that he may have to pay it off with funds he no longer has, because he would have paid them to the City.
Phil Sheegl also says that part of the amount he was ordered to pay was paid in U.S. dollars at the time it was roughly equivalent to the Canadian dollar. The calculation of the amount to be paid, in his view, must take this into account.
Justice Glenn Joyal disagrees. The City of Winnipeg is right that there is no reason for Mr. Sheegl of any benefit from the calculation of the refund due, plus the current amount of money.he wrote of his decision.
With information from Caroline Barghout
Source: Radio-Canada
