Hamilton's mayor faces 41 fundraising charges

Hamilton's mayor has been charged with 41 counts of violating provincial regulationsgoverning election fundraising, amid accusations that he accepted illegal donations.

Mayor Larry Di Ianni, who was elected in the southern Ontario city'smunicipal election in 2003,was charged with the non-criminal offences under the Municipal Elections Act on Monday, a spokesman from the mayor's office told CBC News Online.

Two men who ran unsuccessfully for council in the election were also charged under the act.

The mayor has repeatedly said the violations were honest mistakes and said he hopes to bring a speedy resolution to the matter.

Di Ianni's charges include seven counts ofreceiving ineligible donations from organizations such as charities and 20counts offailing to return donations to illegal contributors in a timely manner.

He has already returned about $26,000 of his election campaign funds that were deemed to come from ineligible donations.

The mayor also faces seven counts of failing to properly record names of donors and seven more of not correcting the mistakes once noticed.

A spokesman for the mayor's officetold the CBC that the problem stemmed from companies not writing their official name as noted on their tax returns on cheques.

Di Ianni, a formerhigh-school teacher and principal, first ran for office in 1982, becoming the municipal councillor for the former City of Stoney Creek. He became councillor for Ward 10 in 2001, after being elected to the council of the newly amalgamated City of Hamilton, and became mayor after the election in late 2003.

Di Ianni is scheduled to appear in a provincial offences court on Aug. 15. He could face fines in the matter.