Harold Backer, an investment dealer and former Olympic rower, who went missing for nearly 18 months, has pleaded not guilty to two fraud charges.
Backer was not in British Columbia provincial court during a hearing Wednesday in Victoria, but his lawyer entered the not guilty plea on his behalf. He has elected to be tried by judge alone in a trial that’s expected to last up to two weeks.
Backer was charged with two counts of fraud over $5,000 on April 13.
The 54-year-old disappeared after telling his family he was going for a bike ride in November 2015. Backer has not told the Crown or police where he went.
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