Overview
- Alberta’s Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association, in a letter made public Tuesday, asked Justice Minister Mickey Amery to have the Police Review Commission, a civilian watchdog, investigate Chief Warren Driechel and police lawyer Megan Hankewich for possible intimidation, obstruction, and extortion.
- Amery’s office said it is reviewing the request and offered no further comment, while the Edmonton Police Service also declined comment and the Police Review Commission said it is aware of the matter with no active investigation.
- The call stems from September when Driechel and Hankewich publicly warned that Crown prosecutors were poised to accept an eight-year sentence in a child manslaughter case and suggested police might release case details if that happened.
- In February, Justice Jody Fraser sentenced Ashley Rattlesnake to eight years for killing eight-year-old Nina Napope and condemned the police statements as reprehensible, saying their veiled threat may have obstructed justice.
- The association also urged that any findings be sent to an out-of-province attorney general, citing concerns about provincial conflicts after Premier Danielle Smith backed police, a move that underscores long-running tensions over the firewall between police and prosecutors.