GUELPH, ONT. – A key witness in the Crown’s case against Michael Sona in the robocalls trial is expected to take the stand Tuesday.
Andrew Prescott, who worked as a deputy campaign manager and technology chair on Guelph Conservative candidate Marty Burke’s campaign during the 2011 federal election, was offered immunity to testify against his former friend.
Court is also expected to hear from Matt Meier, the owner of automated calling firm RackNine, which was used to make misleading calls; Chris Rougier, who worked for the Conservative party as director of voter contact; and another former Tory campaign staffer David Birtwistle.
READ MORE: Michael Sona says first day of trial ‘went good’
On Monday, court heard from three witnesses, including campaign staffer Chris Crawford, who testified he overheard Sona talk about voter suppression techniques before the 2011 election. But he also said Sona never explicitly said he was going to try to suppress the vote, and he didn’t take it seriously.
Sona, 25, is the only person charged in the so-called robocalls affair. It’s alleged he orchestrated an automated phone campaign to divert non-Conservative supporters to the wrong polling station in Guelph.
WATCH: The search for answers in the so-called robocalls case got underway in Guelph, Ont. on Monday.
Court heard that on May 2, 2011, automated calls were made to more than 6,700 phone numbers, mostly in Guelph, informing them that their polling station for the 2011 federal election had been relocated.
If convicted, Sona faces five years in prison.
The trial is expected to last eight days.
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-With a file from Canadian Press
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