SIRT director Ron MacDonald dismisses allegations made by lawyer for RNC brass

The man leading the criminal investigation into senior managers at the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is defending himself against accusations of bias made by the lawyer hired to represent some of the officers.

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In a letter to the justice minister last month, lawyer Jerome Kennedy questioned the objectivity of Ron MacDonald, the civilian head of Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), which is leading the investigation.

"I'm a bit at a loss to explain his rationale for his commentary," MacDonald said in an interview.

"They should have no concerns about our objectivity. We don't form any conclusions until we have all the facts to draw conclusions. And that's all I've ever said in this matter."

They should have no concerns about our objectivity. We don't form any conclusions until we have all the fact to draw conclusions. And that's all I've ever said in this matter.- Ron MacDonald

Kennedy's concerns were outlined in an exchange of letters with Justice Minister Andrew Parsons.

CBC News obtained a heavily-redacted version of that correspondence through access to information legislation.

Kennedy writes that his clients "have concerns about the objectivity of Ronald MacDonald, the director of SIRT, having regard to his public comments made in the media early in the investigation."

Kennedy himself a former justice minister never specifies to which comments his clients were objecting.

'Really don't understand his commentary'

"I really don't understand his commentary," MacDonald said.

MacDonald has the backing of the justice minister, who responded to Kennedy's letter on Feb. 15.

"I am not aware of any factual basis to question Mr. MacDonald's objectivity and note that his experience in conducting such investigations is extensive," Parsons wrote.

At the time, Parsons steered any inquiries about the investigation to MacDonald himself.

"I fully support this independent investigation by SIRT and anxiously await the results on behalf of the people of the province," Parsons wrote.

Last fall, the Department of Justice and Public Safety called in the Nova Scotia-based SIRT after receiving a complaint about the RNC's handling of a confidential informant.

MacDonald won't offer any specifics on where things stand, except that his work will take several more months.