EDMONTON – A former associate cabinet minister who faced allegations of bribery and tampering in a heated nomination race has withdrawn his candidacy for Alberta’s Progressive Conservative party.
Naresh Bhardwaj says he made the decision with regret, but adds he doesn’t want the situation to be a distraction for the party or Premier Jim Prentice.
READ MORE: Mason asks EPS to investigate bribery allegations against Bhardwaj
The PCs have said that their internal investigation found what they call are “significant inconsistencies” in the evidence against Bhardwaj.
It’s been alleged that Bhardwaj offered a bribe to undermine the nomination papers of a rival running against him for the PC nomination in the Edmonton-Ellerslie constituency.
READ MORE: PC Naresh Bhardwaj steps down as minister amid bribery allegations
Bhardwaj, who stepped down as associate minister for persons with disabilities when the accusations surfaced, denies the allegations and has filed a lawsuit against his accusers.
Global News has obtained two sworn declarations that allege Bhardwaj bribed supporters of his opponent in the race for the PC nomination in Edmonton-Ellerslie, Balraj Manhas.
In one, Balbir Sidhu claims Bhardwaj offered him $10,000 to say he never signed Manhas’ nomination papers. In the other declaration, Bilal Ali claims he was misled by Bhardwaj to sign a sworn statement against Manhas. Ali said he was not told the statement would be used to damage Manhas’ reputation.
The NDP has asked Edmonton police to look into the allegations.
With files from Global News
Comments