Muhamer Oruglica, 35, worked at Toronto South Detention Centre, according to two current correctional officers.Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail
An Ontario corrections officer has been charged as a result of information arising from a continuing police corruption probe that shook the province’s criminal-justice system last month, with the arrests of seven Toronto police officers and a retired constable.
Muhamer Oruglica, 35, was arrested on Feb. 25, several weeks after York Regional Police announced the sweeping Project South probe. He is charged with breach of trust by an official, fraudulently using a computer system with the intent to commit an offence, occupying a motor vehicle with a firearm, and careless storage of a firearm.
The breach-of-trust charge stems from an alleged incident in September of last year, when he is accused of directing another person to conduct a database query of an inmate without any lawful purpose, according to court documents.
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Mr. Oruglica worked at Toronto South Detention Centre, according to two current correctional officers, whom The Globe and Mail is not identifying because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The individual who allegedly conducted the query also worked at the jail, the correctional officers said.
The Toronto jail is at the centre of the Project South probe, which investigators say was sparked by an attempted hit in June of last year on a jail corrections officer who was allegedly targeted at his home.
York Region detectives have charged seven serving Toronto Police officers and a retired officer, as well as 19 civilians, on an array of allegations, including bribes and drug trafficking.
Investigators at a Feb. 5 press conference said members of organized crime were buying data and addresses from Toronto Police Service officers, which were then allegedly used to co-ordinate shootings and other crimes – including the attempted hit on the corrections officer.
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In an e-mail Thursday, York Regional Police Constable James Dickson said Mr. Oruglica “was arrested as a result of information that originated from Project South.”
“We are unable to provide any further details regarding his charges or his role, as Project South remains an ongoing investigation,” he said.
In an e-mail to The Globe Thursday, Mr. Oruglica’s defence lawyer, Carmelo Truscello, said he has yet to receive any information from the Crown’s office about a Project South connection, noting “there is a distinction to be made between being arrested as part of a Project, and being arrested as a result of information gleaned from it.”
His client intends to defend against the allegations, he said.
At Mr. Oruglica’s bail hearing, court heard that the allegations against him include that he brandished a gun while in a car during a FaceTime call, and that when he was arrested, officers found a loaded Smith and Wesson firearm in a holster on his bedside table, according to an official audio recording of the proceedings.
Mr. Oruglica, who does not have a criminal record, was released on bail after his arrest in February, agreeing to live under house arrest at a family member’s home. Among his conditions is an agreement not to access any government computer or database.
After Project South was announced last month, the province’s top police watchdog, Inspector-General of Policing Ryan Teschner, pledged to hire an outside official to conduct a provincewide review of police corruption.
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In an e-mail Thursday, Rima Amri, spokesperson for the Inspectorate of Policing, said “oversight of correctional services staff does not fall within the Inspector General’s statutory authority, however if information arises during the inspection that falls outside the mandate of the Inspector General, it will be redirected to the appropriate authority for action.”
Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner has also opened an investigation into the allegations in Project South. Commissioner Patricia Kosseim said Thursday that her office was looking into the alleged incident involving the jail.
Brent Ross, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor-General said “as this matter is before the court, we are unable to provide details.”
With research from Stephanie Chambers