Letter withdrawing sex assault allegations against former Brampton councillor can’t be verified, integrity commissioner says

Brampton’s integrity commissioner says her “hands remain tied” and has been unable to confirm whether a letter allegedly withdrawing claims of sexual assault against a former city councillor actually came from the complainant.

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon, the former city councillor for Wards 9 and 10 in Brampton, was the only incumbent member of council not reelected in the 2024 municipal election following allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment of a female staffer while on a City of Brampton trade mission to Turkey in 2019.

He has always denied the allegations against him, which were reported to Peel Regional Police. The former councillor was also the target of protests following the sexual assault and harassment allegations.

And while Dhillon now says those allegations were “formally withdrew” in a letter sent to councillors some three years ago and that he plans to run again for Brampton City Council, the city’s integrity commissioner says she has been unable to contact the woman who made the original complaint or confirm the authenticity of the letter.

Dhillon has called for a report which held up the allegations to be removed online, but Brampton’s integrity commissioner Muneeza Sheikh says she’s “exhausted all of my own means to try and make a contact with the complainant.”

“I am still not in any position to make a recommendation of any kind to members of council on that report,” Sheikh told council on Wednesday. “What I have is an underacted note, that is allegedly from the complainant, although this has never been confirmed to me by the complainant or her counsel – only by Council for Mr. Dhillon.”

A judicial review of Sheikh’s report was upheld in 2021.

The letter, which Dhillon says is “undeniable proof” of his innocence, was first sent to members of council in September in 2023 and included the name of the accuser. It was not sent to the integrity commissioner’s office, and “did not say that she was with the drawing the complaint from my office, specifically,” Sheikh said.

But a second copy of the letter was sent by Dhillon’s legal team in November of that same year, this time with the name of the complainant “redacted,” the integrity commissioner says.

She has not contacted by Dhillon until July of 2024, “and at that time his counsel requested that I review my report or expunge my report, and relied on the same letter,” she said.

Sheikh said she has an ethical responsibility to investigate and update the report, but any and all attempts to contact the accuser through lawyers and previously-provided contact information have been unsuccessful. One lawyer for the accuser “has not had any communication with the complainant for the better part of two years,” Sheikh said.

She said she is unable to alter or expunge the report “absent confirmation from the complainant herself or counsel for the complainant that there was indeed an error, or that she renegs on the allegations.”

Sheikh disclosed she has also been served a legal notice by Dhillon’s lawyer, and has also “commenced (her) own litigation against Mr. Dhillon.”

A whistleblower made allegations that Dhillon settled a $60,000 sexual assault settlement using city funds, with Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown calling the payments “hush money.” The integrity commissioner told council on Wednesday she was not privy to any details on whether there had been any “settlement between the complainant or Mr. Dhillon.”

Dhillon said he was planning legal action against Brown, and issued a statement calling the claims “politically motivated.” In a recent post on social media, he claimed he is “being targeted” by the city solicitor, the integrity commissioner and city council because they fear that I will expose their corruption.”

Sheikh called Dhillon’s claims of collusion “inherently false” and “wildly offensive.”

The city’s election website does not show Dhillon registered as a candidate as of Wednesday afternoon. The municipal election is on Oct. 26, and the deadline for candidates is Aug. 21.