Lawsuit alleges corruption and back door dealings at Key First Nation
CBC
The chief of Key First Nation in Saskatchewan is suing two band councillors on behalf of the nation for allegedly taking money in exchange for awarding contracts.
The lawsuit filed in October seeks more than $3.8 million in damages from councillors Sidney Keshane, Kimberly Keshane and 10 other companies and individuals.
The statement of claim alleges the two councillors "would accept payments from various parties in exchange for the granting of KFN contracts to such parties on a quid pro quo basis."
Lane Zabolotney, a lawyer representing Sidney and Kimberly Keshane, said his clients "vehemently deny the allegations against them and look forward to their names being cleared through the litigation process."
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
"It's been no secret to anybody that our community has had struggles for many, many years with our leadership," said Solomon Reece, a Key First Nation councillor who is not named in the lawsuit.
Reece said there is mistrust between the First Nation's government, administration and community members. He said many members of the nation aren't engaged with the band council.
"For a lot of our members, the Nation is something of a black hole," said Reece.
Reece said the allegations are serious and feels the lawsuit is a step to regain trust with the community.
Key First Nation has about 1,500 members, with 300 living on reserve, about 225 kilometres northeast of Regina. The First Nation's council consists of the chief and five councillors.
Sidney Keshane and Kimberly Keshane are uncle and niece, and were both elected to the band council in June 2022.
According to the statement of claim, in the summer of 2023 the First Nation was looking to lease three parcels of reserve land, totalling about 3,600 hectares, for agricultural use to generate revenue.
According to the statement of claim, a band councillor not named in the suit added an item to a meeting agenda several weeks before the tendering period closed, to grant the lease to a farmer. Key told the rest of the council it would be inappropriate to do so before the tendering period closed.
The First Nation received three bids by the closing date, one of which offered just over $1.3 million for the lease, according to the statement of claim.
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