investigation into the leaking of news of a federal tax change for income trusts. The announcement came in the form of a letter from Zaccardelli to New Democratic Party Member of Parliament Judy Wasylycia-Leis. The RCMP came under criticism for announcing the probe during the campaign. The matter was investigated by the CPC the external review body of RCMP members' conduct. The report of the commissioner concluded that there was no evidence to suggest Zaccardelli deliberately meddled with the electoral process. The chair of the CPC judged Zaccardelli and other RCMP members having acted in an inappropriate manner by not cooperating with the external investigation. Maher Arar file Zaccardelli's role in the affair of computer engineer, Maher Arar had been the subject of intense speculation and controversy. Arar, a Canadian citizen who was born in Syria, was stopped at a New York airport on his way home from a vacation in September 2002. United States officials accused him of links to al-Qaeda and deported him to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured for months. The decision to deport Arar was said to be based on inaccurate and misleading information provided by the RCMP that suggested Arar was linked to the militants. Members of the House of Commons Committee on Public Safety and National Security have called Zaccardelli's testimony in this matter "contradictory", with Liberal MP Mark Holland saying "We've now got Mr. Zaccardelli in my opinion perjuring himself before a parliamentary committee." The contradictions were with respect to what he knew at the time and what he told government ministers. Zaccardelli resigned from his post as Commissioner on 6 December, effective 15 December 2006. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced in the House of Commons that Zaccardelli had resigned. "Today, Commissioner Zaccardelli submitted his resignation to me and I have accepted it," Harper said. "The commissioner has indicated to me that it would be in the best interests of the RCMP to have new leadership as this great organization faces challenges in the future." Zaccardelli became the first commissioner in the history of the RCMP to be forced to resign because of controversy. Before Zaccardelli's resignation, on 28 September 2006, he issued an apology to Arar and his family during the House of Commons committee on public safety and national security: Mr. Arar, I wish to take this opportunity to express publicly to you and to your wife and to