A key witness in the RCMP investigation stemming from the B.C. Liberal government’s ethnic outreach scandal says she has been blacklisted and suffered emotional, financial and social hardship since agreeing to co-operate with authorities more than a year ago.
Yet Sepideh Sarrafpour, a former B.C. government liaison contractor, said Tuesday in an exclusive interview with The Province that she is proud of the way she has conducted herself and remains optimistic that justice will one day be served.
“I can’t really find a word in any vocabulary to describe what happened to me emotionally, socially, publicly and financially,” Sarrafpour said. “My health and reputation, being blacklisted and boycotted, in the past two years — a really priceless experience.
“However, I kept my word as I mentioned from the beginning of the scandal. I stand for what is right, no matter if I have to stand alone. I did not sell my soul, I did not accept any offer, I did not compromise my integrity. And honestly it was not about me only. It is about British Columbians, the future of B.C. and all the human beings around the world.”
For over a year, Sarrafpour has watched silently as the RCMP investigated alleged violations of the Elections Act resulting from the ethnic outreach scandal that threatened to derail the B.C. Liberal’s re-election hopes. The so-called quick-wins strategy was aimed at winning ethnic votes and involved key members of Premier Christy Clark’s circle.
Three key figures, including Clark’s then-deputy chief of staff and close friend, Kim Haakstad, resigned as part of the fallout, which also saw the B.C. Liberal Party cut British Columbians a cheque for $70,000.
The RCMP investigation, which is being overseen by special prosecutor David Butcher, was launched last September after then-B.C. NDP leader Adrian Dix sent a letter to Mounties raising “serious” concerns regarding new information, connected to the scandal, that surfaced after the May 2013 election.
Some of that information is believed to have resulted from the 10,000 pages of documents that were later dumped by the government on its open information website related to an investigation into the ethnic outreach plan by John Dyble, Clark’s deputy minister.
Included in the information was an email, dated Sept. 18, 2012, that suggested someone had offered some kind of financial inducement to silence a former government employee, later identified as Sarrafpour.
On Monday, charges were laid under the Elections Act against a former government employee and a key player in the ethnic outreach scandal, and a current B.C. Liberal Party official. Brian Bonney and Mark Robertson are accused of failing to disclose a payment to Sarrafpour for work she did in the 2012 byelection in Port Moody — allegations that suggest the investigation has broadened considerably. Bonney and Robertson are scheduled to make their first court appearance next month.
The B.C. Liberal Party said the charges are related to a “misreported” $2,240 expenditure it first became aware of in 2013.
Sarrafpour, meantime, is not facing any charges related to the investigation and maintains she never did anything wrong. On Tuesday, she thanked Butcher and the RCMP for their professionalism to date during the “hardship and difficult times” of the past two years.
“I asked for justice and I was sure that the truth would prevail and justice would prevail sooner or later,” she said. “We live in Canada, the country which is famous for democracy, freedom and justice. Therefore, my expectation couldn’t be anything else.”
How the scandal broke
On June 11, 2013, almost a month to the day that the B.C. Liberal government won a surprise fourth term in office, the provincial government posted more than 10,000 pages of documents related to John Dyble’s investigation into the ethnic outreach plan.
Within the info dump is an email, dated Sept. 18, 2012, that suggests someone within government had offered some kind of inducement to silence a former employee. The so-called mystery woman is later identified as Sepideh Sarrafpour, a former government liaison contractor and one-time honorary liaison to ex-multiculturalism minister Harry Bloy.
Sarrafpour now finds herself a key witness in an RCMP investigation into alleged violations of the Elections Act, stemming from the ethnic outreach scandal. Sarrafpour is not facing any charges.
For over a year, Sarrafpour has sat silently as the investigation progressed. On Wednesday, a day after B.C.’s criminal justice branch announced charges against two-high ranking Liberal operatives resulting from the investigation, she broke her silence in an exclusive interview with The Province.
More of the interview
This interview has been edited slightly to fix some small grammatical errors. This was done with permission of the interviewee.
What have the past two years been like for you?
First I would like to take this opportunity to thank the special prosecutor Mr. David Butcher and his professional team for investing their time [and for their work] on this case. Also the RCMP, federal, serious and organized crime department for the whole investigation from the beginning, saving my life when I was going through the hardship and difficult times in the past two years. The time that I really needed help and support.
I also appreciated you for taking the time to interview me.
I keep my head up and I am proud of myself, the way that I managed and handled the past two years. I was in God’s hands. There is no power, title or money that can be more powerful than God’s beauty and power. I really can’t find a word in any vocabulary to describe what happened to me emotionally, socially, publicly, financially. My health and reputation, being blacklisted and boycotted, in the past two years. A really priceless experience. And I’m hoping the Canadian law and justice system will take care of the case as they did so far, so those who used me as a scapegoat and exposed my name in media and public would pay the price for it. I want justice.
However, I kept my word as I mentioned from the beginning of the scandal. I stand for what it right, no matter if I have to stand alone. I did not sell my soul, I did not accept any offer, I did not compromise my integrity. I was innocent, and honestly it was not about me only. It is about British Columbians, the future of B.C. and all the human beings around the world.
What was your reaction to yesterday’s news? What does this mean for you?
I asked for justice and I was sure that the truth would prevail and justice would appear soon or later, because this is the law of god and the universe. We live in Canada, the country which is famous for democracy, freedom and justice. Therefore my expectation couldn’t be anything else from Canadian law and justice system. I am sure, you guessed my feelings when I saw in the media “Sepideh Sarrafpour faces no charges.”
It sounds like the investigation not likely to conclude until something in 2015, what does this mean for you?
Actually, it is a positive sign to me. Both teams are professional. It means they want to make sure that they go through all the details and do the right thing as they have been doing so far.
What else can we expect to see?
I always say to all my friends, patience is a virtue.
Note: On Monday, charges were laid under the elections act against a former government employee and key player in the ethnic outreach scandal, and a current B.C. Liberal Party official. Brian Bonney and Mark Robertson are accused of failing to disclose a payment to Sarrafpour for work she did in the 2012 by-election in Port Moody. They are scheduled to make their first court appearance next month. The investigation, which is being overseen by special prosecutor David Butcher, remains ongoing. It is expected to conclude sometime in early 2015.
