Charges in Drunk Driving Deaths Dropped Against ClubLink Execs
By Robert Thompson
The Bracebridge paper notes that charges against all of the ClubLink board members and executives relating to the deaths of Tyler Mulcahy, 20, Cory Mintz, 20, and Kourosh Totonchian, 19, last year have been withdrawn. The crown said it had “no reasonable prospect of conviction.”
One of the officers involved in the case had this to say:
However, Bracebridge OPP Inspector Ed Medved was contacted shortly afterward.
“We respect the decision of the Crown’s office in relation to this matter,” Medved said. “We put the cases together, we bring them forward and then beyond that it’s up to the courts how best to deal with them. We respect those decisions they make in that regard.”
Those charged included ClubLink CEO and real estate baron Rai Sahi, and other ClubLink execs like Egidio [Edge] Caravaggio, Charles Lorimar, ClubLink founder Bruce Simmonds, and CFO of ClubLink and Tri-White, Robert Visentin.
This whole affair has been a ridiculous waste of taxpayers’ money for a dog and pony show designed to capture publicity – not reach a conviction. None of the ClubLink execs were present when Mulcahy, drinking on his father’s membership card, left Lake Joseph Club and drove home in a high-powered sports car in the summer of 2008, killing three of the four in the car. I’m sure all were horrified by what had happened. But in an attempt to grab headlines and prove a point, the crown and the OPP decided to charge all of those listed on the liquor license. The goal? Get a story above-the-fold in the newspapers and hope no one notices the ridiculousness of the situation when all the charges get dropped. But shouldn’t the Crown have known it had “no reasonable prospect of conviction,” well before it reached court?
As I told the Toronto Star earlier this year, this is still a serious issue and golf course owners are still paying a lot of attention to the matter — but that has nothing to do with parading out charges against corporate executives.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
That is great news, there had to be a lot of board members at private golf clubs and companies worried and probably thinking about resigning if these people had been found guilty.
Thank goodness common sense prevailed. Or something else.
November 7th, 2009 at 12:08 am
I don’t blame the directors, but I sure as hell hope the club tightens up their policies and procedures in this area. No doubt the kids killed themselves, but it’s still tragic that no one was able to stop them.
Lastly, I think the crown actually did have a case. They just decided not to pursue it.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
altho common sense prevailed IMHO the people whose names are on the liquor license should have been responsible in some way. Here in Scotland, the case would not have been thrown out.
The GMs name is over the door of the resort and he is responsible if a related accident occurs – it wouldn’t be considered an accident.
November 8th, 2009 at 9:40 am
This is crazy. You sell a poison and then are in shock when someone dies. People die every day from that same poison.