A senior official at the Toronto South Detention Centre has denied planting a weapon in a cell. This testimony comes as part of the ongoing Project South corruption investigation.
The May 1st sharpened fragment discovery
The dispute centers on a specific incident occurring on May 1, 2025, involving an inmate named Joshua James Malcolm-Evans. According to the report, a sharpened piece of glass or plastic was found in the toilet of Malcolm-Evans' cell immediately after he refused a strip search. The corrections officer testified that he was merely supervising the search to ensure protocol was followed and denied any role in placing the object.
Lawyer Sherif Foda has challenged the officer's verison of events by pointing to potential discrepancies in security footage. Despite these challenges, the officer maintained that his actions were entirely lawful, even while acknowledging that systemic issues exist within the detention facility. In a written affidavit, the officer also noted a "near-miss" threat on April 30, 2025, to bolster his claims regarding personal safety.
Project South's 20-person corruption probe
The officer's testimony is part of a much larger investigation known as Project South, which began in February 2026. The probe follows an attempted assassination of the officer in June 2025 and has expanded to include more than 20 individuals. As the report states, the investigation involves:
- Six active Toronto police officers
- A former police constable
- Various civilians accused of bribery and collusion
This investigation highlights a growing tension between correctional staff and law enforcement, with the source noting that the probe includes allegations of corruption involving Trinidad police and correctional staff. The scale of Project South suggests that the alleged corruption extends far beyond a single cellblock, potentially involving organized crime and high-level police misconduct.
Joshua James Malcolm-Evans' Charter application
Inmate Joshua James Malcolm-Evans is using the alleged misconduct to fuel a Charter application in Ontario's Superior Court. Malcolm-Evans, who has been held at the Toronto South Detention Centre since February 2024, is seeking a reduction in his sentence or a stay of proceedings. He claims the officcer engaged in improper strip searches and even helped create a "safe-house" for people looking to target him.
While Malcolm-Evans was convicted of gun-trafficking in 2025, the source notes that those charges are separate from the current corruption inquiry.. The judge in the Charter case, however, has already ruled that the officer's statements concerning systemic issues cannot be used to shift blame for a single incident, leaving the inmate's specific claims under intense scrutiny.
The unverified bribery of a senior police officer
One of the most explosive claims involves the alleged bribery of a senior police officer to leak the corrections officer's home address. the officer testified that this leak was intended to facilitate an attack on his life, citing concerns about both internal corruption and organized crime. However,the source does not confirm if these specific bribery allegations have been substantiated by investigators.
It remains unclear how much of the officer's testimony regarding the assassination attempt is directly linked to the broader Project South investigation. Additionally, the outcome of Malcolm-Evans' application may set a precedent for how future inmates seek redress against institutional malpractice in the face of widespread corruption allegations.
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