N.S. justice minister getting briefed on Assoun wrongful conviction

Nova Scotia's justice minister is offering his first public comment on the Glen Assoun case since being cleared by the province's conflict of interest commissioner, but Mark Furey isn't saying much. At least, not yet.

Furey had asked the conflict commissioner for a ruling on whether he was in conflict because he was a high-ranking RCMP officer before he entered politics.

Information released July 12 in the Assoun file show RCMP documents and computer files that could have led to an early exoneration for Assoun were destroyed and the officer who created them was transferred.

Assoun spent nearly 17 years in prison for the 1995 murder of his former girlfriend, Brenda Way.He was only exonerated earlier this year following a review by the federal Justice Department.

Furey said Wednesday he did not look at the Assoun file while he awaited the ruling from Joseph Kennedy, which came on Tuesday. Furey said his department has prepared briefings for him, which he expects to receive over the next few days. Furey said he also wants to talk to his federal counterpart about Assoun.

Innocence Canada, the lawyers who represented Assoun in his bid to have his murder conviction overturned, have called for a public inquiry and financial compensation for their client.