Foster son's surrender 'vindicates' Vancouver mayor Robertson

Foster son's surrender 
'vindicates' Vancouver mayor 


By Alex P. Vidal


VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The suspicion that Vancouver Mayor Greg Robertson was coddling his wanted son Jinagh Navas-Rivas ended last January 5 when the 21-year-old accused of engaging in cocaine and gun  surrendered to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Richmond City. 
Navas-Rivas' surrender was confirmed by RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen who announced two days earlier that they would "interview" the mayor in relation to the charges filed against the foster son hauled to court together with his alleged cohorts.
The plan to seek the mayor's cooperation came a week after police failed to capture the elusive suspected drug ring member who was last seen in public two months ago joining Robertson on stage during the mayor's thanksgiving speech for his reelection.


ARTICLE


Navas-Rivas' surrender also happened a day after an article entitled "Is Vancouver mayor coddling his wanted son?" appeared in a blog where one Christian Beutel confirmed "Navas-Rivas' gun charges stemmed from an incident Beutel allegedly witnessed on November 18 in this city, a day before the suspect joined the mayor to celebrate his victory for a second term."
"Mayor Robertson had earlier announced he would not comment on the charges filed against Navas-Rivas, a member of the mayor's household until June 2009, because he did not want the public to think that he was influencing the police investigationm" said a statement obtained from city hall sources.
The statement also confirmed Robertson "was very disappointed that his foster son was being haunted for criminal charges by the Richmond RCMP."
The mayor had urged Navas-Rivas to surrender and refused to make statements in media "in respect to the ongoing investigation."


LOCATION


Police did not disclose the exact location where they picked the suspect but he was reporedly "confronted" by cops at around 2 pm. Sources said the RCMP's decision to "interview" Robertson prior to the surrender "was a big help."
It was not immediately known whether Robertson helped provide the information that led to his foster son's fall.
Crown prosecutor Ernies Froess also confirmed that Navas-Rivas' alleged cohort Vinh Hoang David Le, 25, also surrendered earlier on January 5. The foster son's co-accused in the "dial-a-dope" business have made their first appearances at Richmond Provincial Court the same day. They were Willie Sing Cheung Troung, 23, and Leslie James Miller, 29. Troung was charged with one count of trafficking cocaine, while Miller was charged with three gun-related charges.
Also charged with one count of trafficking cocaine but has yet to appear in court was another alleged comrade-in-arms Raymond Kwok Pui Mia, the fifth suspect who surrendered last January 4.