REEVELY: Patrick Brown reported for alleged ethics violations by MPP Randy Hillier
Ottawa Valley MPP Randy Hillier intensified his campaign against former Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown on Tuesday, reporting him to the provincial integrity commissioner for alleged ethics violations — just after most of the Tory party’s executive threatened to revolt if Brown isn’t allowed to run to reclaim his place at the top of the party.
The integrity complaint, which Hillier released publicly at the end of the day, alleges that Brown accepted trips abroad from suppliers to the party and failed to report outside income in routine disclosures to the legislature, and asks questions about how he’s able to afford his home near Barrie.
The trips included visits to India, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Fiji, and Abu Dhabi, Hillier’s complaint says, where expenses were, it alleges, covered by Laj Prasher (who owns a telephony company) or Robert Faissal (a business consultant and green-energy entrepreneur), or their business associates. The trips to the Middle East appear to have included visits to refugee camps.
Faissal, a public fan of Brown, quickly threatened to sue Hillier for defamation, calling his claims “grossly inaccurate” and part of a “political smear campaign.”