Alexander Lisi, former mayor Rob Ford’s friend and occasional driver, did not show up for the start of his trial on Tuesday in Toronto.
He was charged with marijuana possession, marijuana trafficking, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, but did not attend his trial due to an illness.
After being charged in October 2013 at the height for Rob Ford’s “crack video” scandal, Lisi and his co-accused, Jamshid Bahrami, are both out on bail.
Bahrami asked to be excused from the trial, because he suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. However, his request was denied. Police also obtained a search warrant for drug sales at the Rexdale dry-cleaning store that Baharami operated.
He faces charges of possession of cocaine, trafficking in marijuana and conspiracy. Bahrami was not charged with possession of marijuana as he uses medical marjuana to treat his condition.
The trial is set to restart on Wednesday at a Toronto courthouse.