Man Defends Himself At Election Forgery Trial
Friday, October 29, 2010 at 17:31
The man at the centre of an election forgery trial in Saskatoon took the stand in his own defense today.
Brian Amyotte is facing four forgery-related charges for his involvement in the 2004 Metis election that was fraught with irregularities.
During his testimony, he denied making up any fake voters’ lists. He testified he faxed changes, and then handed them in person, to the electoral office because a list he was given contained people who had either moved or passed away.
Amyotte says he never participated in any meetings to plan or cover up election fraud.
He also denied paying Rebecca Vermette $200 that she testified she blackmailed out of him. Amyotte says he would never give anyone money for drugs, and says he wouldn’t have the money to give anyway.
Amyotte also testified he did tell people to not talk to the police, but says it was because he didn’t think they had the right to interfere in the election because it was a Metis governance issue, and because the Metis Nation is self-governing, would need to give permission to the police.
Closing arguments will be on Tuesday, and the jury will begin deliberating on Wednesday.