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The dispute is wrapped up in intra-party power struggles over who’s in charge of the provincial conservatives in Eastern Ontario.

There was no sexual element to the incident, Ghamari said, but she said an MPP shouldn’t physically intimidate anybody. Hillier, the MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, is about twice Ghamari’s size.

Hillier acknowledged they’d talked but said the exchange was during the day, he was sober and never came within five feet of her.

Ghamari complained to the party at the time but, after a brief investigation, the Tories decided they couldn’t do anything with he-said-she-said allegations. She renewed her complaint after Patrick Brown resigned as leader of the party in January.

Hillier said in January that he regretted if he’d done anything that made Ghamari feel threatened but stuck by his version of events.

https://twitter.com/randyhillier/status/957835841056923648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fottawacitizen.com%2Fnews%2Flocal-news%2Freevely-ontarios-pcs-investigate-candidates-physical-intimidation-claim-against-mpp-randy-hillier

Hillier’s account was backed up by his son, Dillon, Ghamari’s by Charity McGrath, now the Tory candidate in Newmarket-Aurora.

Bergamini’s statement doesn’t say whether the party has decided whether one version is true.

“A highly reputable, independent third-party investigator was hired by the party to investigate allegations surrounding events alleged to have taken place in March of 2016,” Bergamini wrote. “The individuals involved in the investigation have been informed of the report and the decision, and the matter is now concluded.”

Ghamari said Saturday she had nothing to say about the results.

“I’m pleased it has concluded and that they used a very professional firm to conduct a thorough investigation,” Hillier said by email.

dreevely@postmedia.com

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