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Former Calgary leaders opposing police request to keep phones seized in investigation
Police say they need nine more months to search devices for evidence in a corruption probe tied to a council reconsideration vote.
Calgary Police Service lawyer Doug Taylor asked Justice Allan Fradsham on Wednesday to retain seized cellphones belonging to former mayor Jyoti Gondek and former councillor Sean Chu for nine additional months during a municipal corruption investigation.
Investigators allege Gondek and Chu participated in an influence-peddling scheme last summer involving a Bankview land-use application that was defeated 6-6 but later approved after a reconsideration motion.
Police discovered text messages where Chu advised David White to keep conversations on his personal phone to avoid Freedom of Information disclosure; documents suggest Gondek provided guidance on securing a reconsideration motion.
Lawyers Rebecca Snukal and Shamsher Kothari argued police are "whiling away time" awaiting software to break into the devices, noting investigators admitted having no timeline or specific plan to access the phones.
Justice Allan Fradsham reserved his decision until July regarding the application, with none of the allegations proven in court and no charges laid against the former municipal leaders.