Port Moody Mayor Rob Vagramov says he will return to work after a sexual assault charge against him was stayed.
Speaking on Thursday, Vagramov said he will resume full duties on Monday.
He went on to say he is happy to live in a place “where no one stands above the law” and that “the justice system is able to distinguish predatory behaviour from awkward dates that could have benefited from more communication.”
The BC Prosecution Service said Wednesday that Vagramov’s charge had been stayed after he completed an alternative measures program, which allows an accused person to deal with a criminal charge outside the court process.
When asked for details about the alternative measures program, Vagramov said he apologized to the complainant “way back when this first came out” and “apologized again recently.”
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Vagramov said he was happy to have been “exonerated of this charge.”
But Coun. Diana Dilworth said on Wednesday that the mayor “hasn’t been exonerated, he hasn’t been cleared.”
She went on to say she would feel more comfortable if Vagramov did step down, but she is willing to hear what residents have to say about the issue.
Globalnews.ca coverage of Rob Vagramov
Vagramov was charged back in March over an alleged incident in 2015.
At the time he took a leave of absence, only to return to city hall in September. He then went back on leave in October.