Was the Department Of Justice Slow to Move in Milgaard's Appeal?

That's what David Asper believes. He told the inquiry today that Eugene Williams, former investigator for the federal Justice Department, created delays in responding to various portions of the Milgaard appeal.

Milgaard first wrote to the federal Justice Department in January of 1986, asking for his case to be reopened. Asper did not file the documents until December of 1988, according to Betty Ann Adam of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.

Approximately two years later, Kim Campbell, Justice Minister at the time, turned down Milgaard's request, forcing him and his lawyers to file a second application in August of 1991. Milgaard's case went before the Supreme Court of Canada, at Campbell's referral, in November of 1991. The rest is history.

Sigrid Mac