HALIFAX - Halifax's deputy chief of police says an external investigation has cleared him of a perjury allegation that led to his suspension earlier this year.

Chris McNeil spoke publicly for the first time about the matter since the allegation surfaced in media reports in March. Since then, McNeil and the police force have declined to confirm that he was suspended and the circumstances that led to his suspension.

But in an interview Monday, McNeil said the Ontario Provincial Police conducted an investigation and cleared him of any wrongdoing.

McNeil said his suspension wasn't revealed publicly because the chief believed the Police Act prohibited a public statement on the matter.

"Internal discipline under the (Police) Act is not public," said McNeil, who was reinstated last Wednesday.

The deputy chief, who often handles internal discipline matters, said he found it difficult to be on the other side of the process.

"Nobody likes to have their reputation challenged. Often the process is frustrating and it can take too long," he said.

"But I was comfortable I would be exonerated."

McNeil said someone he declined to identify alleged he lied under oath as he spoke about his brother's involvement with a private lie-detector company before a hearing of the Nova Scotia police review board.

He said the hearing was not held to discipline his brother, Sgt. Anthony McNeil. But he declined to elaborate, saying the province's Police Act prohibits him from discussing internal disciplinary hearings.

He said allegations that Anthony McNeil contravened internal rules by working for a private lie-detector business were dismissed because he stopped doing off-duty polygraph work before it became prohibited.

"I can tell you that for a short period of time in 2007, Sgt. McNeil worked for a company who was providing pre-employment polygraph services to the fire department," he said.

"He doesn't own a polygraph company, but he worked on an off-duty basis for a short period of time in 2007 for a company that was providing those services to the fire department."