The man who blew the whistle on treaty land entitlement corruption on Mosquito First Nation is now facing legal troubles of his own.
Robert Armstrong was in North Battleford provincial court Wednesday morning facing charges of assault and uttering a threat.
No pleas were entered as Armstrong's matter has been adjourned to Sept. 14.
The charges stem from an alleged incident during this spring's Mosquito First Nation band elections, involving a confrontation between Armstrong and Milton Oxebin, a band councillor responsible for Treaty Land Entitlement affairs on the reserve. Armstrong is accused of pushing Oxebin during the alleged incident.
For his part Armstrong, a former Treaty Land Entitlement trustee himself, is denying that either the assault or threats took place and doesn't remember any pushing happening, saying he would never harm Oxebin.
"I am not a bad person," Armstrong said. "I don't steal money, I help my people."
However, it was clear there is some tension between Armstrong and Oxebin, with Armstrong telling reporters he had suspected Oxebin of being among those involved in the corruption on the reserve.
"Milton (Oxebin) knows I was on him," Armstrong said of his investigation activity.
Armstrong had been actively investigating corruption on Mosquito First Nation over the past number of years, having cooperated with the RCMP to expose the TLE fraud on Mosquito reserve.
That illegal activity took place during the early 2000s and saw hundreds of thousands of dollars that was specifically set aside the purchase of land under the Treaty Land Entitlement framework misappropriated and squandered by TLE trustees and band officials, who used the money for other purpose. Two former TLE trustees from the reserve were sentenced to a year in jail for breach of trust last December while three others, including former Chief Clarence Stone, are set to go to trial for more serious fraud and breach of trust charges.
Armstrong told reporters outside the courtroom that he believes the assault charges were laid against him in retaliation for his efforts to expose the wrongdoing on the reserve.
"For the past seven years, I have been threatened about doing this but I am still fighting," Armstrong said of his whistleblowing activities. "I'm still working for my people."
For his part, Armstrong says he plans to fight the charges against him and intends to go to trial, with no plans to enter any guilty pleas.
