Justice Minister Mark Furey cleared of conflict in Assoun case

Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey, a former RCMP officer, has been cleared of any conflict of interest in the wrongful conviction case of Glen Assoun.

Assoun spent 17 years in prison forthe 1995 murder of his former girlfriend Brenda Way in Dartmouth, N.S.,before being exonerated earlier this year.

Furey had asked the province's conflict of interest commissioner to look into the case before he would make any comment.

Before he was elected as a Liberal MLA, Furey spent 32 years in the RCMP, retiring with the rank of sergeant. He was serving in Nova Scotia during the time Assoun's case was making its way through the courts, although he was not involved in the case.

Documents released earlier this month by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court show RCMP files that identified a suspect other than Assoun were destroyed and the officer who did the analysis, Const. Dave Moore, was reassigned.

In a ruling released Tuesday, Nova Scotia Conflict of Interest Commissioner Joseph Kennedy said the RCMP will clearly be central to the Assoun matter as it moves forward.

"The requests and public pressure require action and a response from the Nova Scotia minister," Kennedy wrote. "Simply having been a member of the RCMP at relevant times does not create a real conflict."

While there is no real conflict, Kennedy acknowledged that Furey's history could create a public perception of conflict. Kennedy said that will require Furey to be careful.

"Open, transparent discussion of the minister's role and a continued sensitivity to possible concerns about his background."