Court officials are expecting a packed public gallery this morning when Justice Douglas Cunningham delivers his verdict in the influence-peddling trial of Mayor Larry O’Brien.
To accommodate a larger crowd, the proceedings have been moved to courtroom 37, a venue often used for high-profile cases. The trial was conducted in a smaller courtroom down the hall, with public galleries that on some days were filled to capacity.
The court proceedings are open to the public, but seating is limited. Interested observers, the mayor’s supporters, and journalists from numerous news organizations will compete for spots on the gallery benches. Those hoping to get a seat should arrive well before the 10 a.m. start time.
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Updates:
11:30 am EDT, August 5th, 2009 — Ottawa mayor acquitted of attempted bribery
Not guilty!
This trial has been very revealing. A number of councilors tipped their hands. A number of City Hall staffers acted like buffoons. While some folks are saying it’s time to build bridges, I would say it’s time to clean house. Go get ‘em, Larry!!
The stain will persist. He got off techincally but for the trial to have gotten this far …
We’re talking about Ottawa, Cynapse. People here understand the gentle game of back scratching (nudge nudge, wink wink) and they don’t condemn the mayor for having friends in high places… expecially since Kilrea came across so poorly…
What they’ll remember is the naked ambition exposed by Alex Cullen and a few others who weren’t willing to wait to see if Larry was dead before they started dividing the goods. They’ll understand if Larry put the run to several of the more vocal staffers…
I’m going to go out on a limb and predict Larry will keep the mayor’s chair if he wants it…
Well another potentiel ” scandal ” the Liberals where trying to pin/spin on the ” Conservatives ” goes terribly wrong ! ( Pétard mouillié or in English ” misfires/hangfires ” ).
“ Email exchanges between Kilrea and federal Transport Minister John Baird, who was president of the federal Treasury Board at the time, were also filed during the trial. But Baird testified that he never discussed an appointment for Kilrea. “
I think Peter Mansbridge totally ignored this verdict on the national tonight. Must of been a big disappointment to the CBC. If CTV takes a pass on this story, then we know the MSM is having a very bad day!!! The Ottawa Citizen should have an apology to Larry O Brien on their front page.
I heard the Ottawa Citizen was planning to do so, Fay… but I also heard Hell was looking frosty…
Glad to see the decision come down the way it did. Sure was a lot of negative Larry stuff out there. Must have cost somebody a bundle.
In reading the judge’s comments in the newspaper this morning, it’s very clear. The judge said O’Brien was innocent of the allegations, rather than saying the Crown failed to prove it’s case.
Of course, none of that matters to guys like Sean McKenny.
http://www.ottawasun.com/news/obrien/2009/08/05/10371176.html