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Conflict ruling challenged

A citizen advocacy group is mounting a legal challenge to have a court overturn two conflict of interest rulings in favour of Premier Christy Clark.

Ottawa-based Democracy Watch is petitioning the B.C. Supreme Court to set aside rulings that earlier this year cleared Clark on conflict of interest allegations connected to high-priced fundraising events.

The petition filed Tuesday in Vancouver also asks the court to find that conflict commissioner Paul Fraser should not have ruled on the complaints because his son works as a deputy minister for the provincial government.

The conflict commissioner was not immediately available for comment, and Clark's office says in a statement it will not comment while the matter is under review.

Fraser ruled last May that Clark's appearances at exclusive B.C. Liberal Party fundraisers where guests paid up to $20,000 to attend did not constitute a conflict of interest because she did not receive a personal benefit.

Fraser said in his August ruling on separate conflict complaints, filed by Opposition New Democrat MLA David Eby and Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher, that he considered the matter closed.



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