Gas plants accused decline to call evidence; closing arguments Nov. 22.
TORONTO — Two former senior political aides charged with illegally destroying documents related to the Ontario government’s decision to cancel two gas plants will call no witnesses in their defence, their lawyers said Thursday.
Instead, the lawyers for David Livingston and Laura Miller told Ontario court Judge Timothy Lipson that they had instead opted to move straight to making closing arguments.
Their decision comes after Lipson last week rejected the lawyers’ request for a directed verdict — an acquittal without hearing defence evidence — on the basis the prosecution had failed to make out its case.
In his written ruling, Lipson said he had heard some evidence put forward by the Crown on which a guilty verdict could ultimately rest, although he stressed he was not at that point weighing the validity of the evidence or making any suggestion as to what his verdict will ultimately be.