'We were getting shafted': Testimony of Daniel Bard's alleged victims continues in Moncton

Katelin Belliveau · CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 5:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

A Miramichi begetter and lad testified Friday astatine Daniel Bard's fraud trial that they gave Bard much than $170,000 to invest when they were trying to commencement a medical marijuana business, but they ne'er saw the money again.

After being delayed 3 days, the proceedings resumed successful Moncton with grounds from the 2 men.

Bard, 60, is connected proceedings on 19 charges, including fraud, theft and money laundering. Some of his alleged crimes day backmost to erstwhile helium worked with 3+ Corp., a municipally funded improvement agency, and besides had a broadside concern called VM Venture Management.

Etienne Haché told the court his household owned a numbered company, besides known arsenic Acadian Marijuana Producers, or AMP, successful 2018 with the extremity of producing aesculapian marijuana. Haché said helium was president of AMP and liable for starring operations.

He and his father Francois, the bulk proprietor of AMP, testified they invested household wealth in the enterprise, bought land, began processing it, and filed a cannabis exertion to Health Canada.

Etienne Haché told Judge Anne Richard that when his household couldn't supply immoderate much of its ain wealth and different investors fell through, a communal friend introduced them to Bard, who projected financing the project.

Haché said that successful aboriginal 2019, AMP paid Bard VM Venture Management about $172,000, and Bard promised tens of millions of dollars successful financing successful return.

"We were guaranteed that we would get our wealth back," Francois Haché testified. "That's wherefore we felt beauteous comfortable."

Etienne Haché said that erstwhile helium archetypal met Bard, helium said he "bailed retired Ferrari" and was progressive with different large companies overseas. He said they trusted Bard astatine that time.

But during the adjacent fewer months, Haché said things "got benignant of weird" betwixt Bard and AMP.

Bard went to Europe and became progressively hard to reach. He sporadically reassured them helium was moving connected the woody there, contempt showing nary tangible results, Haché testified.

"He would ever person a hold maneuver of immoderate sort."

Haché said Bard yet asked him to instrumentality retired a beingness security argumentation to screen the loan, which Haché said helium did.

He testified further that erstwhile his household yet became frustrated with the information that Bard was missing acceptable timelines for the financing, they came to an statement with him to cease immoderate concern efforts. Bard was to wage the household backmost its archetypal concern of $172,000.

"There was thing being produced," Francois Haché said. "We were getting shafted basically."

When asked by the Crown whether his household had ever received immoderate of the wealth backmost from Bard, Etienne Haché replied, "Never, Nothing."

"It was hard connected the family, hard connected the business," Francois Haché said. "It was embarrassing."

The tribunal besides heard from Randy Murdoch, who is Etienne's uncle and was a manager for AMP. He said helium was portion of archetypal meetings betwixt AMP and Bard and remembers Bard telling them they were all going to bash good from the deal.

In his cross-examination, defence lawyer James Matheson confirmed parts of the grounds of Etienne Haché and his begetter and asked them whether Bard had asked them for a transcript of their passports astatine immoderate point. 

Neither of them could callback whether that happened, and Matheson did not elaborate.

Defence question claims unreasonable delays

Defence lawyer Tim Dubé made an unexpected remark earlier the tribunal heard grounds Friday morning.

Dubé said helium was going to record a question for a enactment of proceedings, which means temporarily oregon permanently stopping proceedings, due to the fact that of unreasonable delays successful the trial.

In what is known arsenic the Jordan Principle, a Supreme Court of Canada determination has said anyone accused of a transgression has the close to proceedings wrong a tenable magnitude of clip from the infinitesimal charges are laid.

Bard was accused connected July 4, 2022. His trial, which was expected to instrumentality spot successful November 2023, was delayed for respective reasons, including clip for him to find a lawyer.

• Trial dates cancelled arsenic erstwhile Moncton economical improvement VP seeks caller lawyer 
• Trial acceptable for 2025 for erstwhile Moncton economical improvement VP charged with fraud, theft

His proceedings yet began connected April 24, astir 33 months aft charges were laid, which Dubé estimates is an unreasonable delay.

The Supreme Court determination specifies that successful provincial court, a proceedings indispensable travel to an extremity nary much than 18 months aft charges person been laid.

When weighing a determination connected this benignant of motion, immoderate delays caused by the defence oregon the accused are not counted toward the threshold. On Friday, Richard said she had not yet read the authoritative question Dubé said helium filed with the courts.

The six-week trial is expected to proceed connected Monday.