SURREY (NEWS 1130) – Charges may be laid in connection to a voter fraud investigation stemming from Surrey’s municipal election last October.

Surrey RCMP has wrapped up its six-month-long probe into the matter.

“Our Surrey Major Crime Section have forwarded the report to Crown Counsel and that will be reviewed by the BC Prosecution Service to determine charge assessment,” adds Sgt. Chad Greig.

RCMP launched the investigation after Surrey’s Chief Elections Officer noticed irregularities in the mail-in ballot registration process.

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There was also a grassroots group that claimed people were trying to take advantage of absentee votes.

Mounties earlier confirmed 67 applications were determined to be fraudulent in that they were not completed or signed by the voter listed on the application. Two of these applications requested ballots be sent to addresses that were not associated to the named applicant; the other 65 applications listed the applicant’s correct address for delivery of the voting ballot.

At the time, the investigation confirmed no candidate or party were linked to the fraudulent applications, but officers identified and interviewed two people of interest.

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Greig is not revealing what exactly what Surrey RCMP found during their investigation, noting the matter is now in the hands of the BC Prosecution Service.

“Now that the investigation is complete and it’s before the BC Prosecution Service I am unable to speak to specifics about the investigation while charge assessment is underway,” he adds.

Concerns about potential voter fraud were reported to the RCMP last September. At least one mayoral candidate had pushed to scrap mail-in ballots just days later in order to make sure any apparent scheme didn’t succeed.