EDMONTON—Alberta’s election commissioner has fined a former UCP financial officer for donating to Jeff Callaway’s United Conservative Party leadership campaign “with funds given or furnished by another person.”

Karen Brown, who made a $3,500 contribution to Callaway during the UCP leadership race in 2017, was hit with a $3,500 fine on Thursday, according to the commissioner’s website. No further details are provided in relation to the fine and the commissioner does not comment publicly on investigations.

However, election commissioner Lorne Gibson has been investigating “irregular financial contributions” made during the Callaway bid, which has faced allegations recently that it was orchestrated by now-UCP Leader Jason Kenney as a proxy in order to attack his biggest opponent, Brian Jean.

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Kenney and the UCP have denied allegations that he was involved in organizing Callaway as a “kamikaze candidate” that would attack the former Wildrose Party leader and then drop out to endorse Kenney.

Callaway has also denied that his campaign was anything but legitimate.

When reached by phone on Thursday, Brown declined to comment on the penalty levied against her. She has previously declined or ignored Star Edmonton’s interview requests to discuss her $3,500 donation to Callaway’s leadership campaign.

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“I have no comment. Please don’t call me again. Thank you. Bye-bye,” Brown said.

Brown was the chief financial officer for the UCP Calgary-Falconridge board until she resigned in December, the Star has learned.

On Tuesday, the commissioner hit a co-manager for the Callaway leadership campaign, Cameron Davies, with $15,000 in fines for “obstruction of an investigation.”

This news came after late-January reports that the commissioner was concerned an individual was attempting to interfere with his investigation. Davies, who was doing independent contract work for the UCP, had his contract terminated after the fine was imposed.

The Star reported in December that an anonymous complaint had been lodged with the commissioner about allegedly questionable funds donated during the Callaway bid.

Brown is one of 18 individuals named in the complaint along with the amount they donated, reason for why the complainant is suspicious of the donations, and personal information about them.

Under the province’s Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, an individual can only donate their own money to a leadership campaign. Contravening the act could result in a $10,000 fine.

The alleged kamikaze campaign first got attention when an audio recording of longtime political organizer Wendy Adam surfaced online where she discussed running Callaway as a “kamikaze mission.”

“The reason that we’re running Jeff (Callaway) as a serious campaign is because Jeff will be able to say things about Brian Jean that Jason Kenney cannot,” Adam is heard telling an unidentified person.

“It’s a kamikaze mission,” said one unidentified man.

“Exactly,” said Adam.

In response to questions submitted by Star Edmonton regarding the fine slapped on Brown, UCP executive director Janice Harrington said in a statement that they expect all Albertans, members or otherwise, to “abide by all laws, including those with respect to election financing.”

Harrington said the party doesn’t receive any more information than the general public as to the nature of fines posted to the website.

“The party plays no role in the collection or disclosure of donations to leadership contestants,” she said.