KITCHENER -- The Prime Minister is once again being questioned about the criminal charges against the former Liberal MP for Kitchener-South Hespeler.
Marwan Tabbara appeared in a Guelph courtroom Friday morning where his cast was adjourned until August 28.
He’s been charged withtwo counts of assault, one count of break and enter, and one count of harassment in connection to an incident in Guelph on April 10.
That information was not released to the public until early June.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the news a few days later, saying he wasn’t told about Tabbara’s charges until they were made public.
“When we found out about these serious charges, the correct steps were taken for Mr. Tabbara to remove himself from the Liberal Party Canada caucus,” Trudeau said at the time.
Tabbara is now listed as an Independent MP and his name has been removed from the official Liberal party website.
After the charges were made public, he issued a statement saying he was now receiving counselling for treatment of anxiety and depression.
The Prime Minister was asked again about the charges at a news briefing on Friday.
"If a MP is arrested, the Speaker of the House needs to be officially informed,” he said. “That rule hasn't been followed or applied much over the past few years. It is certainly disappointing as a party leader that the individual never chose to inform the party of the charges. I'll let the prosecutors speak for themselves."
One Kitchener residents says he’s not satisfied with that answer.
“I don’t understand because as the government, shouldn’t they know what their leadership and their members of their own caucuses are doing?” asks Bill Wade.
According to a report from the CBC, the Liberal Party investigated other allegations against Tabbara dating back to the federal election campaign in 2015, involved misconduct, inappropriate touching and unwelcome sexual comments towards a female staff member.
The Prime Minister was also asked at Friday’s briefing if he was aware of those allegations and if he was comfortable at the time with Tabbara running as a candidate in his party.
“I am continually informed as the leader of the Liberal party of investigations of allegations of processes moving forward that have existed,” Trudeau said. “We always ensure that there is rigorous process in place whenever there are any sorts of allegations brought forward.”
CTV News reached out to staff at Tabbara's constituency office in Kitchener as well as his office in Ottawa for comment. A spokesperson for the MP says they are not taking any media requests.
Guelph Police have previously defended their decision not to publicize the charges against Tabbara.
In a statement posted to their website on June 11, they say “the arrest of Mr. Tabbara was not brought to the attention of the media office.”
They also cited the Police Services Act, which says police can disclose personal information if they believed the person poses a risk to the public and that by releasing those details they are reducing that risk.
The statement concluded by saying they wouldn’t comment further on the charges.
- With reporting by Natalie Van Rooy
