A judge has ordered the release of police documents in the drug case against a friend of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
Peter Jacobsen, a lawyer for various Canadian news organizations that pushed to have the records released, said on Wednesday the case against Alexander Lisi involves the mayor. Jacobsen, who had access to the documents while arguing for their release, could not provide further comment on their content.
Ford faced allegations in May that he had been caught on video puffing from a glass crack pipe. Two reporters with the Toronto Star said they saw the video, but it has not been made public. Ford maintains it does not exist.
The scandal prompted several of Ford’s aides to resign and spurred calls for the mayor’s resignation. Ford has said he does not smoke crack, but has sidestepped questions about whether he has done so in the past. He has refused to resign.
The mayor declined to comment on Wednesday on the case against Lisi, who occasionally serves as Ford’s driver and is charged with marijuana trafficking and possession. Ford said previously that he was shocked when Lisi was arrested earlier this month, calling him a “good guy” and saying he does not abandon his friends.
Prosecutor Tom Andreopoulos said the documents were to be released yesterday.
“There’s a number of pages that you’ll be able to feast on in the morning [yesterday],” he said.
The documents show that police followed Lisi and include photographs, the prosecutor added.
“There are no surprises here as to who he also met with,” he said.
Ford recently vouched for Lisi in a separate criminal case, praising his leadership skills and hard work in a letter filed with the court. The letter was part of a report prepared by a probation officer after Lisi was convicted of threatening to kill a woman.
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