Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Crown's star witness was guest at official state luncheons for visiting heads of state
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It's Tuesday, and Bill Tieleman writes: - in this week's 24 hours column I uncover that the crown's key witness in the upcoming David Basi-Bob Virk breach of trust trial - Erik Bornmann - was a guest at two head of state official luncheons in September 2005, for Chinese President Hu Jintao and Mexican President Vicente Fox!
Why was Bornmann, who police allege provided benefits to Basi and Virk in exchange for confidential government information on the $1 billion BC Rail deal in 2003, in attendance - nobody in the Liberal Party of Canada seems to know! See the column below.
From: 24 Hours
Tuesday February 6, 2007
A STRANGE GUEST
By BILL TIELEMAN
Erik Bornmann, the crown's key witness against ex-provincial government aides David Basi and Bob Virk in their bribery trial, was a guest at official Canadian state luncheons in Vancouver for Chinese President Hu Jiantao and Mexican President Vicente Fox in September 2005, 24 hours has learned. ... snip ,,,
Bornmann was a key organizer in B.C. for Martin's Liberal leadership campaign and a former LPC B.C. executive member.
Bornmann attended the luncheon for Chinese President Jintao on Sept 17, 2005 and Mexican President Fox on Sept 30, 2005. Both were held at the Westin Bayshore.
There also remain unanswered questions about Jamie Elmhirst, who resigned last month as LPC B.C. president but was subpoenaed to testify in the Basi-Virk case on Oct. 4, 2006.
Elmhirst was business partners in Pilothouse with Bornmann and Brian Kieran, who is also scheduled to testify for the crown against Basi, Virk in the April 2 trial.... snip ....
Mark Marissen, who was federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's leadership campaign manager and now co-chairs the Liberal Party national election campaign team, said in an e-mail to 24 hours that he did not know about Elmhirst's subpoena to testify.
"I was first aware of it from your story in 24 hours," Marissen wrote. In response to a question whether he had at any point discussed the subpoena with Elmhirst, Marissen replied that: "Given that this is a matter before the courts, I did not feel it was appropriate to ask him about any details associated with his subpoena."
Full story at Bill's web-site: http://billtieleman.blogspot.com
Care to comment: feedback@24hrs.ca or go to: http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/and have your say. Or E-mail: weststar@telus.net.
Bill Tieleman West Star Communications Tel 604-844-7827 Hear Bill Tieleman on the Bill Good Show every Monday at 10 a.m. on CKNW AM 980 or online at www.cknw.com
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Thanks again, Bill. Many happy returns of your big birthday!
.................................................................................................
It's Tuesday, and Bill Tieleman writes: - in this week's 24 hours column I uncover that the crown's key witness in the upcoming David Basi-Bob Virk breach of trust trial - Erik Bornmann - was a guest at two head of state official luncheons in September 2005, for Chinese President Hu Jintao and Mexican President Vicente Fox!
Why was Bornmann, who police allege provided benefits to Basi and Virk in exchange for confidential government information on the $1 billion BC Rail deal in 2003, in attendance - nobody in the Liberal Party of Canada seems to know! See the column below.
From: 24 Hours
Tuesday February 6, 2007
A STRANGE GUEST
By BILL TIELEMAN
Erik Bornmann, the crown's key witness against ex-provincial government aides David Basi and Bob Virk in their bribery trial, was a guest at official Canadian state luncheons in Vancouver for Chinese President Hu Jiantao and Mexican President Vicente Fox in September 2005, 24 hours has learned. ... snip ,,,
Bornmann was a key organizer in B.C. for Martin's Liberal leadership campaign and a former LPC B.C. executive member.
Bornmann attended the luncheon for Chinese President Jintao on Sept 17, 2005 and Mexican President Fox on Sept 30, 2005. Both were held at the Westin Bayshore.
There also remain unanswered questions about Jamie Elmhirst, who resigned last month as LPC B.C. president but was subpoenaed to testify in the Basi-Virk case on Oct. 4, 2006.
Elmhirst was business partners in Pilothouse with Bornmann and Brian Kieran, who is also scheduled to testify for the crown against Basi, Virk in the April 2 trial.... snip ....
Mark Marissen, who was federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's leadership campaign manager and now co-chairs the Liberal Party national election campaign team, said in an e-mail to 24 hours that he did not know about Elmhirst's subpoena to testify.
"I was first aware of it from your story in 24 hours," Marissen wrote. In response to a question whether he had at any point discussed the subpoena with Elmhirst, Marissen replied that: "Given that this is a matter before the courts, I did not feel it was appropriate to ask him about any details associated with his subpoena."
Full story at Bill's web-site: http://billtieleman.blogspot.com
Care to comment: feedback@24hrs.ca or go to: http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/and have your say. Or E-mail: weststar@telus.net.
Bill Tieleman West Star Communications Tel 604-844-7827 Hear Bill Tieleman on the Bill Good Show every Monday at 10 a.m. on CKNW AM 980 or online at www.cknw.com
.................................................................................................
Thanks again, Bill. Many happy returns of your big birthday!
.................................................................................................
Comments:
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Hey Mary, I must be getting slower so the article got to you before I could copy it over, Intesrsting stuff from Bill as usual dl ( my email list got a bit mixed up yesterday so please sned me a email. Tnx
# posted by 
: February 6, 2007 at 11:50 a.m.
: February 6, 2007 at 11:50 a.m.
Well Mary, isn't that interesting. All those connections between the two 'Liberal' parties that were never there.
Why would Paul Martin want little Erik - in the States they'd call him an unindicted co-conspirator - at such an important state occasion?
He really is a valuable fellow isn't he.
And we still don't know about the contents of that affidavit sitting in a filing cabinet at Osgoode Hall - or do you suppose they keep it under lock and key. Perhaps Gary Gibson was at the banquets too.
So many secrets. As interest in the Picton trial seems to be waning, I'm starting to get excited about just exactly what little Erik will have to say when he spills the beans in open court..
Did you hear that minister of mines Bennett has resigned?
Why would Paul Martin want little Erik - in the States they'd call him an unindicted co-conspirator - at such an important state occasion?
He really is a valuable fellow isn't he.
And we still don't know about the contents of that affidavit sitting in a filing cabinet at Osgoode Hall - or do you suppose they keep it under lock and key. Perhaps Gary Gibson was at the banquets too.
So many secrets. As interest in the Picton trial seems to be waning, I'm starting to get excited about just exactly what little Erik will have to say when he spills the beans in open court..
Did you hear that minister of mines Bennett has resigned?
# posted by : February 6, 2007 at 1:02 p.m.
: February 6, 2007 at 1:02 p.m.
Hi, Mice:
It's no use, I've cudgeled my brain but still cannot understand what Mr Dithers ever saw in Erik, let alone why he continued to hold the lad in such high esteem that he'd overlook the allegations made by Erik himself, that he had bribed for his client from another country.
Maybe that's why I enjoyed the plain English and forthright resignation of the Minister of Mines today. Sheesh, this is an embarrassing province at times, isn't it?
It's no use, I've cudgeled my brain but still cannot understand what Mr Dithers ever saw in Erik, let alone why he continued to hold the lad in such high esteem that he'd overlook the allegations made by Erik himself, that he had bribed for his client from another country.
Maybe that's why I enjoyed the plain English and forthright resignation of the Minister of Mines today. Sheesh, this is an embarrassing province at times, isn't it?
OK.
Purely speculating here on the 'why', but......perhaps they felt a need to keep him happy and in the fold.
After all, what would happen if the man child formerly known by his arachnoid monicker was to go off the reservation and really start spouting off in public about everything he knows about the nuts and bolts of how Mr. D. reversed the Little Guy from Shall Win Again's hammerlock grip on the Big Red Machine's leadership process?
.
Purely speculating here on the 'why', but......perhaps they felt a need to keep him happy and in the fold.
After all, what would happen if the man child formerly known by his arachnoid monicker was to go off the reservation and really start spouting off in public about everything he knows about the nuts and bolts of how Mr. D. reversed the Little Guy from Shall Win Again's hammerlock grip on the Big Red Machine's leadership process?
.
RossK,
it's funny-tragic isn't it, how many guesses we have to set aside before we feel safe with one fairly uninteresting bit of speculation that maybe the kid mixes a good martini or something.
it's funny-tragic isn't it, how many guesses we have to set aside before we feel safe with one fairly uninteresting bit of speculation that maybe the kid mixes a good martini or something.
You mean rossk, that the banquet invites are kind of an earnest payment in respect of future services to be rendered come, let us say, in April?
And it also keeps important lines of communication open and the potentially squeaky wheel well-oiled.
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And it also keeps important lines of communication open and the potentially squeaky wheel well-oiled.
# posted by : February 7, 2007 at 4:49 p.m.
: February 7, 2007 at 4:49 p.m. << Home
