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Defence lawyer blasts legal aid decisions that end costing taxpayers more court legal wrangling, delays

Heroin trafficking charges against the father of an accused killer will be stayed “unless and until” Canada’s attorney general bankrolls a defence for the man denied legal aid, a judge has ruled.

In a decision released after Christmas, Judge Robert Smith concluded Temorshah Hafizi doesn’t have the cash to hire a lawyer the Crown conceded he needed to get a fair trial on a charge of possessing 4 kg of heroin for the purpose of trafficking. If convicted of the charge laid after a wiretap probe of his son, he could face six years behind bars.

Lawyer Michael Purcell, who argued what’s known as a Rowbotham application, said he’s never heard of the federal or provincial attorney general then refusing to pay.

Read Megan Gill’s full article: Ottawa Sun

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