Did RCMP commissioner stop Adscam investigation to protect his political ally Jean Chretien?

How political is the RCMP you ask? The Globe and Mail’s Lawrence Martin gives you an answer:

It should be noted that Mr. Chrétien enjoyed very good relations with Giuliano Zaccardelli, the RCMP commissioner of the day, whom opposition MPs accused of not aggressively pursuing allegations on files such as Shawinigate.

At one reception I attended, Zack, as he was called, was quite open about his fondness for Mr. Chrétien. He told me that the difference between his career and that of Liberal MP Maurizio Bevilacqua was that he had backed the right horse, while Mr. Bevilacqua had backed Paul Martin.

And to those who have wondered why it has taken the RCMP so long to finally charge Liberal organizer Jacques Corriveau for his role in Adscam (see here):

On the sponsorship scandal, we are left to wonder why Mr. Corriveau, who was Mr. Chrétien’s friend and had done political organizing for him, was apparently not the subject of a RCMP investigation until 2006.

Mr. Zaccardelli was forced to resign as commissioner in 2006, after presiding over the botched investigation into Maher Arar. This was the same year the Conservatives came to power and the RCMP investigation into Mr. Corriveau began. (see here)

Think about this for a minute – Martin is flat-out saying Zachardelli intentionally quashed a criminal investigation that could show Liberals linked directly to the PM of Canada committing massive fraud and laundering money into the Liberal Party coffers.