Ottawa mayor calls for OPP to charge him or drop bribery probe

Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien has called for police to endtheir investigation into allegations that he tried to bribe a former election rival into dropping out of the mayoral race.

"If this investigation has had difficulty in getting straight answers to simple questions, they should either stop the investigation or hand it over to the courts," he said during a city council meeting Friday.

O'Brien said the investigation is an "elephant in the room" that is hampering council's progress in transforming the way the city is managed.

"It has gone on far too long for the interests of council and interests of the citizens of Ottawa to be well-served."

Up until now, O'Brien has rarely spoken publiclyabout the allegations against him or the investigation, although he has in the past denied that they are true.

No charges have been laid and the allegations have not been proven in court.

On Friday,in council, he specified that he had never offered former mayoral candidate Terry Kilrea a position on the National Parole Board in exchange for dropping out of the race, nor did he ever have a discussion with John Baird, then president of the treasury board, aboutobtaining a position for Kilrea on the parole board in exchange for dropping out of the race.

Following the mayor's statement, Coun. Peter Hume said he was surprisedO'Brien waited so long to speak out.

Another councillor,Alex Cullen, said: "I think we're all waiting for the other shoe to fall."

He added that the investigation is distracting and has affected both the mayor and the chemistry of the council itself.

"It undermines his credibility. It's the story that's always around but you can't deal with it," he said.

"If it's off the table, then we have the confidence ofgoing forward for the remainder of our mandate. If indeed charges are laid, then we have a difficult path … to go through until they are resolved."