Larry’s Gulch case forwarded to public prosecution’s office

WATCH: The Gallant government confirms it has sent the report into Larry’s Gultch Fishing Resort to the Public Prosecution Office. Meaning two former senior civil servants could be closer to being charged. Laura Brown reports.

FREDERICTON – New Brunswick’s energy minister says the altering of documents by two deputy ministers in the former Tory government is a serious matter.

Donald Arseneault says the case has been forwarded to the public prosecution’s office for review to see what action can be taken.

“The law has been broken,” he said to reporters on Tuesday. “They altered these documents when they were told not to because it’s against the law.”

Last week, the information and privacy commissioner released her report on the situation. Anne Bertrand found that government officials intentionally concealed information by altering a guest list of a provincially-owned fishing lodge in New Brunswick.

Bertrand said two deputy ministers altered the 2013 guest list for Larry’s Gulch lodge after a request by a newspaper editor.

“What was clear to me was that nobody knew that acting in this way was really akin to possible charges and fines if found guilty,” she said in an interview with Global News Monday.

“I think that proved to me a certain level of arrogance in how you handle government information and the little respect that they have for an official record.”

But Bertrand did not recommend any charges be laid and does not name the officials in her report.  But the report says changes to government records will not be tolerated in the future.

“We think it’s very serious and that’s why we’re taking the next steps,” said Arseneault.

Kevin Lacey with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said the government is doing the right thing to “clear the air.”

“This is serious,” he said. “If the public can’t trust the information coming out of the government then who can they trust?”

With files from the Canadian Press