TORONTO, (Reuters) – Ontario authorities have agreed to a request from Toronto’s police chief to supervise an investigation that has already resulted in extortion charges against an alleged drug dealer and associate of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, a probe the mayor contends is politically motivated.
Toronto Police have declined to say much about Ford’s role, if any, in the case against his friend and occasional driver, Sandro Lisi. But police documents released last fall showed that the mayor, now running for re-election, had been under surveillance for months.
Ford, who admitted in November that he had smoked crack cocaine, probably while in a “drunken stupor,” has made headlines around the world. He has become a household name in circles that rarely take notice of Canadian politics, not to mention a popular target for late-night television hosts.
His admission of drug use came days after Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said his force, during an earlier investigation called Project Traveler, had obtained a video featuring the mayor that was consistent with media reports about a video clip showing Ford appearing to smoking crack.
Blair, who did not disclose the content of the video obtained by police, said at the time he was disappointed by what he saw.
News of the Ontario Provincial Police taking over supervision of the latest investigation came in a Toronto Police press release posted on Wednesday.
