Xaidsart lawyers Scott Hutchison and Brennagh Smith today began prosecuting the trial of Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien, as counsel on behalf of the Crown. Hutchison and Smith were retained by Ontario as special outside prosecutors because of the nature of the case. The trial involves allegations that O’Brien offered to help secure an appointment to the National Parole Board for a political rival, in exchange for the rival dropping out of the 2006 mayoral election campaign. Several preliminary issues have been raised by media organizations, including a request by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to broadcast the proceedings, and a first-of-its-kind motion by the Ottawa Citizen to report in real-time using “Twitter”. Both the CBC and the Citizen will regularly report on the trial.
