The criminal probe of fraud and forgery allegations at a Progressive Conservative nomination will continue into the election year, police say.

Hamilton police also emphasize that “no one has been ruled out” as a suspect in their investigation of unnamed Conservative officials.

With an Ontario election set for June 7, the Tories are anxious for the matter to be resolved sooner rather than later.

“We can anticipate the investigation will take us into the New Year,” Hamilton police Const. Lorraine Edwards said Monday.

Asked by the Star if “any Progressive Conservative official, up to and including the leader, the party president, and the executive director, has been ruled out as a suspect,” Edwards replied: “No one has been ruled out during our investigation.”

The controversy is heating up at Queen’s Park; NDP House Leader Gilles Bisson urged Liberal Attorney General Yasir Naqvi to refer it to federal prosecutors as has been done in past cases.

“Will the attorney general hand the Conservative party nomination scandal case over to the public prosecution service of Canada before any potential charges are laid?” Bisson asked during the legislature’s daily question period.

But Naqvi said “it’s too premature to start speculating about an ongoing investigation.”

“If the actual charges are laid, I’m fairly confident we will take the same step and make sure that the public prosecution service of Canada is the one dealing with that matter,” he said.

At issue is a disputed Conservative candidate nomination from May 7 in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas.

After the riding meeting, Vikram Singh, a Hamilton lawyer and runner-up in the four-contestant election, launched a civil action against the party alleging “wrongful insertion of false ballots.”

In that suit, he named Tory Leader Patrick Brown, party president Rick Dykstra, PC executive director Bob Stanley, and senior Brown aide Logan Bugeja.

The Conservatives have denied any wrongdoing in the civil case and the allegations have not been proven in court.

Singh also filed a complaint with police. The criminal investigation is separate from the continuing civil action.

On Friday, Brown stressed that the Tories are co-operating with police.

“We’ve offered full disclosure. Our office disclosed everything that was asked,” he said, referring to two banker’s boxes of documents handed over to police on Oct. 27.

“I would note that no one in my campaign, no one in my office or headquarters is under investigation.”

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When asked during a news conference at Toronto city hall if Stanley or Dykstra were under investigation, Brown was firm.

“No one in my office, no one on my campaign team, no one in our headquarters, is under investigation. Those individuals would fall under that broad definition,” the Tory leader said.

Brown was not available on Monday, but his office underscored that he meant that no one in his circle had been interviewed by the police.

According to court documents filed by police two weeks ago, Det. Const. Adam Jefferess obtained an “order of detention” to allow for additional time to examine material obtained from the party’s lawyer.

“The following items were turned over to me: two brown cardboard boxes (box one — Ontario PC Party ballots; box two — Credential Referrals Forms, two binders containing emails including a selection of emails that were stapled together), and two USB drives containing digital copies of the same emails,” Jefferess said in a “report to a justice” filed at the Hamilton courthouse on Nov. 22.

“Between Oct. 28 and Nov. 16 I searched these items for evidence of fraud and utter forged documents which relates to an ongoing criminal investigation into an allegation of fraud that took place on May 7, 2017 during an Ontario PC Party nomination meeting,” the detective said.

Under the justice of peace’s order, police can keep the seized items until Dec. 27 “or until the completion of all proceedings, as charges have been laid.”

However, detectives can apply to the court for an extension if need be.

Criminal fraud and forgery are serious charges; a conviction can lead to a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

With files from Ben Spurr