Prosecutors have dropped charges of a home attack on a well-known real estate mogul in Calgary, Riaz Mamdani, who was once the victim of a near-fatal shooting.
Mamdani, 54, was indicted on November 28 after an argument with his girlfriend Kate Abbott at his home in Mount Royal.
Although CBC News did not previously identify Abbott, she has since sent out several statements, court documents from her family court case and pulled out an Instagram ad discussing the incident.
The accusations had a “destructive” effect
Mamdani said he felt “justified” by withdrawing the charges, but would like to see the Crown review the case earlier.
“The consequences of even an unfounded accusation can be as harmful as a sentence,” he wrote. “In a sense, the accusation is the sentence; the stigma associated with these lies was devastating to me.
Defense attorney Corey Wilson appeared in court on Friday on behalf of Mamdani after prosecutors dropped the charges. Mamdani claims that the motive for the accusations is “greed”.
“These allegations were made in conjunction with absurd claims of more than $ 1 million a year, such as marital support from a woman I didn’t live with and a six-figure claim for child support from a previous relationship.
“During this time, I followed the advice of my legal adviser to remain silent while the applicant actively searched for media and bought advertisements on social networks in order to falsely present herself as a victim.”
Mamdani says he has filed a fraud lawsuit against Abbott and plans to take defamation action.
Abbot “shocked and devastated”
In a written statement to CBC News, Abbott said she was “shocked and devastated.”
“On behalf of my family, friends and all those who have supported me, I want to convey our shock and bewilderment at the decision taken today by the Crown Prosecutor’s Office,” Abbott wrote.
“I do not have details why the Crown Prosecutor’s Office made the decision it made, and I did not contribute to the decision leading to today’s announcement.”
Although the Crown Office declined to explain why the charges were dropped, prosecutors dismissed the charges only when there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction or if it is not in the public interest to continue.
“The Calgary Attorney’s Office treats the file as we would any intimate partner file,” said Crown Chief Prosecutor Peter Mackenzie.
“Notification of this decision was sent to the complainant by letter yesterday afternoon. The complainant was invited to contact me if he had any questions about the decision.
Abbott in the PTSD program
On May 22, Abbott posted an Instagram ad informing the public that it takes a month to participate in a program for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
She said in a written statement that her story was “far from over”.
“As long as I continue to work hard to rebuild and rebuild my life, my goal will remain to advocate for social change and legal reform so that one day, in these cases, true justice is restored,” Abbott said.
Mamdani, CEO of Strategic Group, is a local businessman and philanthropist.
In December 2016, Mamdani was shot six times through the window of his Rolls Royce Phantom as he exited the alley of his Mount Royal estate.
Police called the targeted attack an assassination attempt. They have never been arrested in this case.
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