TORONTO

Mayor Rob Ford has been subpoenaed to testify in the extortion case involving his crack cocaine video.

Ford confirmed he was served by Det.-Sgt. Gary Giroux - the lead investigator in the Project Brazen 2 - at his mom’s home.

“Everything now is before the courts and I suggest you talk to Mr. Morris,” Ford told reporters Friday during a tour of the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House.

“I know what people want to do - they want to talk about the real issues, saving taxpayers’ money, building subways, talking about this beautiful facility. Thank you very much, thank you.”

Dennis Morris, Ford’s lawyer, confirmed the subpoena - issued for Sandro Lisi’s March 2015 trial - was served on Aug. 26.

“It’s not really news,” Morris told the Sun. “It was expected.”

The mayor will continue to refuse to speak to investigators, Morris said, but he will testify next year.

“When a person is subpoenaed, they are subpoenaed to testify in court on a certain date and he will do that - there is no obligation to speak to anybody prior to that,” Morris said.

The criminal lawyer said “in (his) eyes the Crown has a very skeletal case.”

Asked why Ford was being subpoenaed, Morris said he believes it is an “attempt to bolster a weak case.”

“They are grasping at straws in my view,” Morris said.

The Sun reported earlier this year that Toronto Police were planning on serving Ford with a subpoena to testify in the trial of Alexander “Sandro” Lisi.

Lisi - Ford’s one-time friend and occasional driver - was charged with extortion last year in connection with alleged attempts to retrieve the video of the mayor smoking crack that was being shopped to media outlets.

Brazen 2 was launched last year after reports of Ford’s crack video surfaced in May 2013. The extortion charge was laid by Project Brazen 2 investigators on Oct. 31.

A police spokesman confirmed on Thursday that the criminal investigation is still “ongoing.”

Ford may or may not be mayor by the time he would have to testify - the hearing won’t take place until after the Oct. 27 municipal election.

If he ends up taking the stand next year, it will likely be the first time Ford will be forced to answer questions about Lisi, his interactions with the Dixon City Bloods and his involvement, if any, in trying to recover the crack video.

On Thursday, Ford shrugged off questions about the police investigation and his continuing refusal to speak with Brazen 2 investigators.

“This is like the oldest news around,” Ford said after the Toronto Region Board of Trade debate.

“Guys, those days are gone. I think you all know it but you’re not going to admit it.

“So (the police) can do whatever they want, you can do whatever you want. I’m doing what the taxpayers want me to do — go to their doors, return the calls, do what I’ve been doing for 14 years.”

Police wouldn’t address questions about the subpoena on Friday.

“We don’t discuss ongoing criminal investigations,” said police spokesman Mark Pugash.

Det. Joyce Schertzer - who is working with Giroux on Project Brazen 2 - said the invitation for Ford to speak with investigators remains open.

“The invitation for Mayor Ford to come in and speak to the Toronto Police was extended by Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux and still remains,” Schertzer said.

- With files from Sam Pazzano and Veronica Henri