Thursday, May 11, 2006
June trial for B.C. legislature raids dropped, December 4 court date expected
Dirk Meissner, Canadian Press
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
VICTORIA (CP) - Three former B.C. government workers facing corruption charges after police raided the B.C. legislature may not go to trial until December - three years after the dramatic search.
The trial of David Basi, Bobby Virk and Aneal Basi was scheduled to start June 5 in Vancouver, but after a hearing Wednesday in Vancouver, the date was postponed.
Judge Elizabeth Bennett ruled the Crown and defence need more time to review evidence. Both sides will return to court in Vancouver on June 13 to begin examining the evidence.
Special prosecutor Bill Berardino and defence lawyer Michael Bolton said there are massive amounts of information still to be reviewed.
"In the circumstances the trial judge determined that the trial should not begin on June 5," said Berardino. "The trial judge said the trial could begin as early as Sept. 1 and not later than Dec. 4."
Bolton, who represents David Basi, said the defence continues to review information it has been receiving from the Crown. The information is arriving intermittently and "highly edited," he said.
"The defence hardly ever thinks the Crown is co-operating the way they should co-operate, but there obviously is a tremendous volume of it (information)," Bolton said.
"I don't want to get into all the reasons at this stage as to the causes of the problems, but certainly in the most desirable world this process happens as expeditiously as it can," he said.
[Read the full story in Vancouver Province for 10 May 2006]
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
VICTORIA (CP) - Three former B.C. government workers facing corruption charges after police raided the B.C. legislature may not go to trial until December - three years after the dramatic search.
The trial of David Basi, Bobby Virk and Aneal Basi was scheduled to start June 5 in Vancouver, but after a hearing Wednesday in Vancouver, the date was postponed.
Judge Elizabeth Bennett ruled the Crown and defence need more time to review evidence. Both sides will return to court in Vancouver on June 13 to begin examining the evidence.
Special prosecutor Bill Berardino and defence lawyer Michael Bolton said there are massive amounts of information still to be reviewed.
"In the circumstances the trial judge determined that the trial should not begin on June 5," said Berardino. "The trial judge said the trial could begin as early as Sept. 1 and not later than Dec. 4."
Bolton, who represents David Basi, said the defence continues to review information it has been receiving from the Crown. The information is arriving intermittently and "highly edited," he said.
"The defence hardly ever thinks the Crown is co-operating the way they should co-operate, but there obviously is a tremendous volume of it (information)," Bolton said.
"I don't want to get into all the reasons at this stage as to the causes of the problems, but certainly in the most desirable world this process happens as expeditiously as it can," he said.
[Read the full story in Vancouver Province for 10 May 2006]
