Lethbridge police say no charges will be laid after an investigation into a controversial safe drug injection site..“The Lethbridge Police Service has concluded its investigation of ARCHES and allegations of financial improprieties at the Supervised Consumption Site (SCS),” said the LPS in a Tuesday press release..“The Alberta Justice Specialized Prosecutions branch supported the findings of the Lethbridge Police investigation and determined it would not recommend criminal charges as there wasn’t a reasonable likelihood of conviction and prosecution would not be in the public interest.”.The UCP government cut funding to the site after an independent audit discovered a litany of problems including “financial irregularities.”.“The review substantiated allegations of asset and funding misappropriation, non-compliance with grant agreements, and inappropriate governance and organizational operations. The ARCHES organization was found to have seriously mismanaged taxpayer funds meant for the most vulnerable in our society,” the government said in a July release.. Mossleigh pub briefly opens before authorities move in .ARCHES received more than $14.4 million in taxpayer money over the past two years..The accounting firm Deloitte found:.$1,617,094 unaccounted for due to missing documentation for expenditures from 2017 to 2018.$13,000 of interest off ARCHES bank accounts was used to fund parties, staff retreats, entertainment and gift cards.A senior executive’s compensation totalled $342,943 for calendar year 2019. This includes $70,672 in overtime for fiscal year 2019-20. The grant agreement allows for a salary of $80,000. The number of ARCHES employees is greater than allowed by the grant agreement. ARCHES maintained up to 126 employees. However, the exact number could not be verified.$4,301 spent on European travel for management to attend a conference in Portugal.A senior executive’s family member was hired, earning $9,900. The auditors could not locate a resume or personnel file to verify any qualifications.$2,205 was spent on a television with no receipt documentation to support the purchase..The auditors said they were unable to complete the grant expenditure review in respect to all allegations received or provide a complete financial value attributable to each allegation, due to the state of ARCHES’ records and the related outstanding documents.. No charges after Lethbridge police investigation of drug site ARCHESARCHES LOGO .“Investigators with the LPS Economic Crimes Unit worked with government officials, auditors, the ARCHES Board of Directors and the Specialized Prosecutions branch. Through a lengthy and comprehensive investigation, in which Special Prosecutions was provided with regular updates on its progress, Lethbridge Police were able to uncover records which accounted for the funding in question,” said Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh..“The findings have been shared with the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, which concludes the involvement of the Lethbridge Police Service in the matter.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
