Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim files defamation lawsuit against 2 men
The suit names Kareem Allam, political strategist, former campaign manager and chief of staff following Sim's election and Alexander George Tsakumis, businessman and real estate developer.
On or about Feb. 6, 2023, Allam's employment with Sim's team was terminated.
The suit states that sometime around November 2023, Allam told Tsakumis that Sim had driven his car while intoxicated and had been stopped by Vancouver police officers.
Allam also told Tsakumis that Vancouver police let Sim go without booking him or citing him for any offence, according to documents.
'Allam made the statements to Mr. Tsakumas, with the intent that Mr. Tsakumas would publish the statements to others, including on the internet which publication did occur on X.com,' the suit states.
Story continues below advertisement
Then, in or about June 2024, Allam told Annie Fournier, a member of the political party, A Better City, that Allam had received a telephone call from a person in the Vancouver mayor's office stating that Sim had been pulled over by the police for driving under the influence and that the individual in the mayor's office and a VPD officer had 'taken care of it.'
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The suit states that Allam said that the 'DUI was not the problem. It was the cover-up that was the problem.'
4:40
Ken Sim drunk driving allegations 'unfounded,' investigation finds
In late 2023, Vancouver police notified the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, which ordered an external probe into the matter.
The RCMP led the investigation and the findings were reviewed by Abbotsford police.
Two Mounties interviewed VPD officers, scanned police databases and listened to radio recordings. They also interviewed Tsakumis and Allam.
Story continues below advertisement
After nine months of investigating the DUI and VPD cover-up rumour, the Mounties concluded their probe last October.
Abbotsford police Chief Colin Watson reviewed their findings and wrote, 'I consider this matter to be baseless. Mr. Tsakumis irresponsibly used 'X' to spread a rumour communicated to him by Mr. Allam.'
The suit states that Allam and Tsakumis made defamatory comments about Sim 'with malice knowing them to be false, or in reckless disregard to the truth of the statements.'
Sim is seeking general, aggravated and punitive damages, along with a permanent injunction restraining, enjoining and prohibiting the defendants, and each of them, from directly or indirectly making, publishing, disseminating or broadcasting the defamatory words, or words of like or similar effect.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Police find ‘inconsistencies' in alleged kidnapping of baby boy in California
Officials have not ruled out foul play in the disappearance of a seven-month-old California boy, saying the mother of the child has stopped speaking with police and has 'inconsistencies' in her story. Emmanuel Haro went missing last Thursday. His mother, Rebecca Haro, claimed she was attacked and knocked unconscious and that when she woke up, someone had kidnapped her infant. Speaking to ABC Eyewitness News last week, she said she had been changing her son's diaper in a store parking lot in Yucaipa, Calif., near San Bernardino, when she was assaulted from behind. View image in full screen Seven-month-old Emmanuel Haro went missing Aug. 14, 2025. Handout / San Bernardino Sheriff's Department 'I got him out of the car seat, and I laid him down so I could get his diapers ready, and somebody said, 'Hola,' and that's all I remember. I saw white, and I fell on the floor, and as soon as I got up, I couldn't find my son. I checked all around my truck,' Haro, who had a black eye, told the outlet. Story continues below advertisement Haro said she never saw her alleged attacker. She said she was in the area for a football practice for one of her other children. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy No security footage was found in the area where Emmanuel, the youngest of Rebecca's six children, disappeared. An Amber Alert wasn't issued in this case, as no descriptions of the suspect or vehicle were provided, according to news outlet KTLA. 'Investigators from our Specialized Investigations Division are continuing to investigate the reported kidnapping of a seven-month-old, after the child's mother reported being attacked outside a retail store on Yucaipa Boulevard last night,' police wrote on X Friday afternoon. 'K9 scent-tracking dogs were deployed but the child was not located. No suspect information is available at this time.' August 15, 2025 Investigators from our Specialized Investigations Division are continuing to investigate the reported kidnapping of a seven-month-old, after the child's mother reported being attacked outside a retail store on Yucaipa Boulevard last night. K9 scent-tracking dogs… — San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) August 15, 2025 Story continues below advertisement In an update over the weekend, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department said the mother's initial statement had inconsistencies and that she ended the interview with investigators when confronted about them. 'Investigators interviewed multiple individuals, including Emmanuel's parents Jake and Rebecca Haro. During those interviews, Rebecca was confronted with inconsistencies in her initial statement and declined to continue with the interview,' the department said in a statement Saturday morning, but did not elaborate on the inconsistencies they found. The department hasn't named either parent as suspects in the case. No description of a potential suspect has been released. On August 14, 2025, at about 7:47 p.m., deputies from the Yucaipa Station responded to the 34000 block of Yucaipa Boulevard regarding a reported missing seven-month-old boy. This is an active investigation, and we are seeking the public's help in locating the child. He was last… — San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) August 15, 2025 According to the Orange County Register, officials with the Uvalde Foundation for Kids, who were offering a US$5,000 reward for information leading to Emmanuel's recovery, called off their independent search less than a day after announcing the effort. Story continues below advertisement 'We cannot in good conscience, utilize our team and resources when so much is missing in this case. Of particular concern to us lies within the inconsistencies in the details and the sudden decision by the mother to end communication with law enforcement and our team … Something is not right in this whole picture,' the foundation's founder, Daniel Chapin, told the outlet. Authorities describe Emmanuel as 21 pounds and approximately 24 inches tall with brown hair and brown crossed eyes. He was last seen wearing a black Nike onesie.
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Ontario tops infrastructure funding pot with $1.6B more for towns and cities
The Ford government is topping up a pot of money designed to help towns and cities boost lagging housing numbers by building more roads and sewers. A new commitment of $1.6 billion was announced by Premier Doug Ford and Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma in Ottawa on Monday at the opening of an annual municipal conference. 'Working with our municipal partners, we're going to keep lowering costs, investing in infrastructure and cutting red tape so we can keep the dream of homeownership alive in Ontario,' Ford said in a statement. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The new money will go toward the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, which has already had $2.3 billion announced for it, taking the total to almost $4 billion. The fund is split into four streams, allowing municipalities to apply for money for agriculture and irrigation, two types of water systems and 'core servicing' like roads or bridges. Story continues below advertisement 'Investments in municipal infrastructure have consistently proven to be the best way to protect local, provincial and national economies,' Robin Jones, president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, said in a statement distributed by the Ford government. 'These investments will not just help to build homes, they will provide thousands of jobs in communities across the province and lay the foundation for long-term productivity. We commend Premier Ford for these important investments.' The announcement comes with Ontario well off pace in its attempts to build 1.5 million homes by 2031. The latest data from the government shows that, even after adding long-term care beds and student dorms to its statistics, Ontario fell tens of thousands of new homes short of its target last year.
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Son of Norway's crown princess charged with 32 offences, including rape
The son of Mette-Marit, Norway's crown princess, has been indicted on multiple charges, including rape, following his arrest in November 2024. Oslo state attorney Sturla Henriksbø said Marius Borg Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The 32 counts include rape, abuse in a close relationship against a former partner and acts of violence against another. Other charges include making death threats and traffic violations. 'These are very serious acts that can leave lasting scars and destroy lives,' the prosecutor said. 'The fact that Marius Borg Høiby is a member of the royal family should, of course, not mean that he should be treated more lightly or more severely than if similar acts had been committed by others,' Henriksbø added. Høiby, the eldest son of Norway's crown princess and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage. Story continues below advertisement He is currently free pending trial, and Henriksbø said there is currently no reason to arrest and jail him. The Norwegian prosecutors' office estimates that the trial could begin in mid-January and take around six weeks. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Høiby was born before the princess's 2001 marriage to the crown prince and therefore does not hold a royal title or carry out official duties. His defence team has said that he takes the accusations seriously but doesn't acknowledge any wrongdoing in most of the cases, particularly those regarding sexual abuse and violence. The royal palace said that it was up to the courts to handle the case and reach a decision, and it had nothing to add beyond that. Høiby was arrested on suspicion of rape last November. Police said in a statement that he was accused of carrying out a 'sexual act without intercourse' on a victim 'said to have been unable to resist the act.' The accuser is a woman in her 20s who did not know Høiby before she met him on the day of the alleged incident, her lawyer Hege Salomon told CNN. She was not in a relationship with him. At a detention hearing at Oslo District Court in November 2024, police prosecutor Andreas Kruszewski requested that Høiby remain in custody for an additional two weeks after another rape allegation was reported. Story continues below advertisement The judge in the case ordered one week of remand for the embattled member of Norway's royal family. 'Marius is facing serious accusations, which the police and the judiciary will deal with. … I am convinced they will do a good job,' Prince Haakon told public broadcaster NRK before the detention order. 'We as a family and as parents have, of course, been very concerned that Marius should get help.' Prior to that arrest, Høiby had also been charged with one count of 'abuse in close relationships,' violating a restraining order and driving without a valid driver's licence, police said. Police said Høiby was taken into custody on Aug. 4, 2024, after an incident at the Oslo apartment of a woman he was in a relationship with. Police say they found a knife stuck in one of the walls of the woman's bedroom. He was accused of causing her bodily harm. He apologized for the events leading up to his August arrest in a statement to NRK at the time, blaming it on 'being intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine after an argument' and 'several mental illnesses,' for which he planned to 'resume treatment.' — With files from Global News' Michelle Butterfield and The Associated Press
