Munoz Says Skakun Thought About Dying
By 250 News
Wednesday, December 08, 2010 05:52 PM
Prince George, B.C.- When Councillor Brian Skakun visited Councillor Debora Munoz at her workplace on September 12th of 2008, Munoz has testified “He was nervous, agitated and in distress.”
Munoz was testifying at Skakun’s trial for the unauthorized release of the Kitty Heller report, a report that dealt with allegations against two City employees. Skakun is accused of breaching the Freedom of Information and protection of Privacy Act in releasing the report to the CBC.
Munoz says Skakun met her for coffee, and told her he had “handed over the report to the CBC, but had not intended for the report to be published. He felt terrible and thought about dying, but added he was just the messenger and believed he was doing the right thing because the public had a right to know.”
Munoz said she worried about his safety and tried to steer the conversation into making sure he knew that “everyone makes mistakes, and that he should discuss this with his fiancé.” She told the Court she told Skakun to think about his son, and his family.
Munoz went on to say Skakun advised her he was protected by a section of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act because the public had a right to know.
“I was most concerned about his statement that he thought about dying and I focused on that.”
She says after Skakun left, she wrote notes about their conversation “I took notes because I didn’t feel comfortable as the bearer of that information”.
Munoz says she “lived in a state of anguish for three months not knowing what to do with it (the information). Who do I go to?” She says she knew she had to disclose this to someone, and went back to Councillor Skakun “I said why don’t you just come clean, admit what you did?” According to Munoz, Skakun said his lawyer had advised him not to admit to anything, and that Skakun said to her “if you want it that way, its your word against mine.” She testified she felt threatened by that comment, and that’s when she decided to go to Councillor Murry Krause for advice and he offered to set up a meeting for Munoz with the Mayor and the City Manager.
She would meet with former Mayor Colin Kinsley and City Manager Derek Bates on November 21st.
Earlier in the day, Bates testified that although there was pressure from the City on the Attorney General’s office to launch an investigation, he did not come forward with Munoz’s revelation until an investigator asked him about it in March of 2009. He said he had two meetings with the investigator, the first to lay the groundwork for the investigation, and Bates knew he would be the last person interviewed and that was when he revealed Ms. Munoz’s statement. He says he wanted the investigator to be “unfettered in his investigation and I would be the last person interviewed and would forward that information at that time.”
Also on the stand today, via video conference, was Anne Bailey. She is one of the managers who was alleged to have harassed two staff members. Bailey said the leaking of portions of the Heller report in April of 2008 caused her a great deal of embarrassment. Although the report cleared her, saying none of the allegations could be substantiated, she says the media reports were very upsetting. Defence Counsel suggested the publishing of the full report on the CBC “gave you vindication because the allegations were proven unfounded” Bailey said “I felt vindicated when I saw the report at the City of Prince George behind closed doors, I didn’t like it being back in the press”.
The trial continues tomorrow morning with the cross examination of Debora Munoz.
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Posted by: bitter on December 8 2010 6:48 PM