TORONTO

A conflict-of-interest case against the Ford brothers has been withdrawn by the Toronto resident who filed it in 2014.

Jude MacDonald alleged in an application to Ontario Superior Court that Rob and Doug Ford “voted on several items before Toronto city council, and its committees, in which their family’s business (Deco Labels) and its clients appeared to have interest.”

MacDonald cited personal reasons when spelling out on Facebook Monday why she withdrew her application.

“Unfortunately, my personal circumstances have changed radically, and I now need to focus on family demands,” she wrote.

The allegations were never tested in court.

The application alleging a violation of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act was filed in September 2014, when Rob Ford was mayor and his brother Doug held a position as city councillor.

Now a councillor, Rob Ford said he is happy to see the case against him and his brother dismissed, suggesting there is “no way” MacDonald was the only person financing what he claimed was a “witch-hunt.”

“The fact of the matter is, there were never any grounds to this complaint,” Ford said in a statement. “Nobody can buy influence with either of us, and we have always been honest with any potential conflicts.”

MacDonald noted that the Ford brothers tried several times to have the application dismissed.

“The Fords brought a number of motions to have the application dismissed, claiming that the application was out of time, duplicated other complaints about the Fords, was frivolous, or was unsubstantiated by direct evidence,” she wrote. “None of the Fords’ motions succeeded.”

Conflict-of-interest legislation needs to be changed because it puts an “immense” burden on citizens to try and hold politicians accountable, she said.

“The result is a law that’s both incredibly difficult to enforce, and potentially costly to the applicant.”

ROB FORD’S CONDUCT WOES

In 2010, the integrity commissioner found Rob Ford violated the council code of conduct related to fundraising for his football foundation.

In 2013, Rob Ford scored a victory after the city’s compliance audit committee voted to not prosecute him over allegations he violated the Municipal Elections Act.

In 2012 and 2013, Rob Ford was dragged to court by Toronto resident Paul Magder over conflict-of-interest allegations. A judge ordered the then-mayor removed from office — a ruling overturned by a three-judge panel. Ford eventually won when the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear a final appeal of the case.

In 2014, the integrity commissioner found that Rob Ford breached the code of conduct by robocalling a councillor’s ward following the Scarborough subway debate.

Last week, the integrity commissioner ruled Rob Ford broke council’s code of conduct by including an ad for a Ford campaign fundraiser in his constituency newsletter. The commissioner’s report will be debated at city council this week.

maryam.shah@sunmedia.ca