Sandro Lisi has extortion charge dropped, allowing release of Rob Ford drug video

The Crown dropped an extortion charge against Alexander (Sandro) Lisiin court on Thursday, paving the way for the release of a video of former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine.

Lisi was charged in 2013 in connection withhis efforts to recover the infamous video, which was recorded at an Etobicoke home in February of 2013 while Ford was serving as mayor. Lisi never managed to obtain the video, which was laterrecovered by police during the Project Traveller raids.

• Watch the Rob Ford crack video

A Superior Court judge ruled this morningthat the video, which was entered as evidence, could be released.

In court,the Crown said the case againstLisiwas weakened because the two men he was accused of threatening,LibanSiyadand MohamedSiad,didn't co-operate during the preliminary hearing.

SiyadandSiadcovertly recorded a video of Ford using drugs at a house inEtobicokeand were hoping to sell it.

Lisi, dressed in a dark blue suit, said nothing as his lawyers defended his actions outside court.

Domenic Basile, Lisi's lawyer, said he's pleased to see the court proceedings come to an end as his client has been living with bail conditions for nearly three years.

"He was a loyal friend of Robert Ford," Basile told reporters outside the courthouse.

"He was trying to get the tape back for his friend."

Basile also criticized what he called an "overuse" of police resources in connection with the case. During Project Brazen 2, police tailed Ford and Lisi throughout the city and at one point used an air craft to track the two men.

Basile said if his client wasn't a friend of the mayor, he wouldn't be in court today.

"At the end of the day, he was the only one charged,"Basile said.

Sandro Lisi's lawyers on extortion charge

8 years ago

Duration 1:01

Lisi's lawyers say if their client wasn't a friend of the mayor, he wouldn't be in court today.

Lisi had been scheduled to stand trial on the extortion charge in September. Heagreed to a peace bond as part of the resolution. The conditions of the bond state he is to have no contact with Siyad or Siad, nor Fabio or Elena Basso, who own the home where the video was filmed.

Ford, who served as mayor from 2010 to 2014,died of cancer in March while he was a councillor.