Photo: The Canadian Press

Unifor National President Jerry Dias speaks in Toronto on November 5, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Carlos Osorio

Toronto Police say former Unifor president Jerry Dias was not charged as the result of an investigation launched last year into allegations that the longtime union leader accepted a bribe.

The police's financial crimes unit began investigating the former president of Canada’s largest private sector union last spring after the union handed over money Dias allegedly accepted from a supplier of COVID-19 rapid test kits he promoted to members.

Unifor at the time charged Dias with violating the code of ethics and democratic practices of the union's constitution.

Unifor said Thursday that its own matters relating to Dias have been concluded, unrelated to the police investigation, and he will no longer be subject to a hearing process under the union’s constitution.

Dias said in a statement Thursday that the allegations against him were untrue, and that he is ready to move on with his life.

Dias became president of Unifor in 2013 and retired early in 2022 amid the allegations, with former national secretary-treasurer Lana Payne elected the new president of Unifor that August.