Lawson defamation trial hears final witness

A document obtained from the Capilano Golf and Country club showed that former senator Ed Lawson once backed a bid by stock promoter Edward Carter to join the club. The document was produced Wednesday in a defamation lawsuit Lawson has brought against Vancouver Sun columnist David Baines. Lawson claims he was maliciously defamed in a Baines column published March 12, 2008, which he says depicted him as corrupt and referred to his relationship with Carter and his partner David Ward, two crooked stock promoters who were later jailed for their part in a stock fraud and bribery scam. The final witness called by the defence was forensic accountant Andrew Newman, who was hired by the RCMP and the Crown to examine share transactions by Carter and Ward that led to their prosecution for fraud in relation to the company Tye Exploration.

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