Charges against the chief of Poundmaker First Nation and eight others accused of various Treaty Land Entitlement fraud crimes on the reserve were read for the first time in Cut Knife provincial court Tuesday.
Chief Duane Antoine is one of the nine individuals accused of theft over $5000, fraud over $5000, as well as criminal breach of trust charges. He and four others - former chief Ted Antoine, Colin Favel, Bryan Tootoosis and Irene Tootoosis - also face two counts each of breach of trust by a public official.
Those facing the other three charges include Norman Antoine, Hickson Weenie, Burton Baptiste and Victoria McMillan.
The court appearance was brief. Lawyers for all sides agreed to adjourn the matter to September 6, again in Cut Knife Provincial Court, to allow counsel to review disclosure in the case.
Both Irene Tootoosis, 67, and McMillan, 66, appeared in Cut Knife provincial court Tuesday morning before Judge David Kaiser. Counsel appeared on behalf of the other seven who were not present in court Tuesday.
North Battleford lawyer Eldon Lindgren appeared for both Duane and Ted Antoine, while McMillan said in her appearance that she was retaining Carl Swenson of Legal Aid.
The other six accuseds were represented by the law firm of Scharfstein Gibbings Walen Fisher LLP out of Saskatoon. Lawyer Andrea J. Rohrke appeared on their behalf in court.
The charges go back to 2004 and follow a seven-year investigation by the RCMP. The allegations are that the accuseds misused funds that were set aside specifically for land purchases for the reserve.
Crown prosecutor Glen Jacques had no comment on the proceedings for reporters. Rohrke also had little to say, as she told reporters she had "just received disclosure from the Crown as of Thursday last week, so until we review that there is not anything further I can really indicate to you."
