A former top political aide in Saskatchewan accused of murdering his wife in Manitoba was released from jail Tuesday.
Mark Stobbe, who once served as a senior adviser to former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow, was released on $50,000 bail. He must also follow several conditions, including reporting to police near his Saskatoon home once a week and surrendering his passport.
"It was our view that there was no realistic chance of keeping him in custody ... under the circumstances,'' Crown lawyer Garth Loeppky said outside court.
Stobbe is accused of killing his wife, Beverley Rowbotham, who was found dead in her car in a parking lot near Selkirk, Man., in October 2000.
The family had moved to Manitoba five months earlier after Stobbe accepted a job with a provincial economic development committee.
Stobbe, 50, was only arrested earlier this year, and has not yet entered a plea to the charge of second-degree murder.
His next appearance in court is set for Sept. 11, at which time a date may be set for a preliminary inquiry.
