Wednesday, February 13, 2008

 

Very nice, Keith Baldrey!

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Hidden away under the carbon tax data, at the very end:

Is carbon tax on the horizon?

Keith Baldrey
Special to Burnaby Now - Wednesday, February 13, 2008

- Basi-Virk trial update: As I predicted a few weeks back, the corruption trial arising from the 2003 raid on the legislature has hit another potential big snag. The Crown's appeal of the trial judge's ruling that defence attorneys could be in the courtroom to hear secret testimony from a mysterious informer is scheduled to be heard June 9 to 11. The defence will argue, no doubt successfully, that it can't prepare a defence or cross-examine any Crown witnesses until the circumstances surrounding that secret witness are clarified. Therefore, it's unlikely the trial will move forward in any significant way until the appeal is ruled on (which could be weeks after the June hearing).(

It's odd how the defence continues to be squeezed by the powers that be. The special prosecutor doesn't want anyone to hear from his secret witness, a move that undoubtedly puts the defence at a serious disadvantage. And the government is refusing to allow access to hundreds of e-mails and documents that could prove vital to defence arguments.

There continues to be an unseemly, unethical taint to this proceeding, and lost in the confusion is the fact that two relatively young men - Bob Virk and Dave Basi - have had their lives put on hold for more than four years now because of bungling and interference from the Crown and the RCMP.

Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global B.C.

http://www.canada.com/burnabynow/news/community/story.html?id=63e9b6ea-9dc8-4b29-bb92-3fcbd7fbf16f&k=38894

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This is serious news about Case #23299 being put off for 4 months! Curious to know how you found out, Keith, that the Crown's appeal would be heard June 9 - 11 (sure hope that's 2008!). Meantime, thanks for the info. - BC Mary.

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Comments:
No doubt Berardino tipped Baldrey about this.

Berardino has very conveniently delayed this until June - well after the Spring sitting of the Legislature. The Legislature is only sitting until May.

I guess Berardino has recieved the strongest of hints that Campbell does not want any more media stories about this case until after the Legislature adjourns.

He does not want a repeat of last spring no doubt.

What's next - a delay until the fall of 2009 well after the 2009 election?!
 
The case was discussed in a number of questions but ni answers in Hansard Question period today. The AG was telling the unwashed MLAs that the professionals are handling things.
 
Ya just gotta go to the appeal court registry to find out the date. We all knew, through the media, the appeal was filed.

Unfortunately, sometimes appeal hearing dates can take time due to scheduling. C'est la vie.
 
I'm sorry Mary I just have to say this. This guy (Baldrey) has just become the biggest joke in this province. As you would say, Sheeesh.
 
When Common Law was forming in Medieval England, peer jurors would be summoned to decide the relative merits of an issue. Assize personnel would raise simple questions that had to be answered by jury intervention.

Doesn't settlement of B-V-B rest on a couple of unanswered questions? How far have we progressed from crude forms of law - catalogued by Glanville, et al - when ANY corruption case takes years to decide. Either B-V-B did that of which they are accused, or they did not. BC is an Olympic venue; let's not force foreign visitors to step into our legal quagmire.

Again, 2 days ago, Donald Brenner (CJ, SCBC) shut down a streamlined route at settling the law suits, viz the Queen of the North sinking. We need someone else to manage the court system. Brenner's rule is a bad joke.

Why did Baldry do a volte face on concealment after attacking fictitious "conspiracy theorists" at this blog, by defending the B-V-B process? I suspect that he was battered by colleagues at the water cooler. Again, his wife - Anne Mullins - has served with the Liberal government. That association doesn't mean that Baldry's integrity should be called into question. But he should address the fact that his family income either is or was partly dependent of the Campbell regime. Influences that might effect impartiality should be disclosed. And he should apologize to BC Mary. She has never treated him harshly.
 
Anon-0-mouse at 8:09 sez:

"That association doesn't mean that Baldry's integrity should be called into question."

This would require some assumptions I'm not willing to make.
 
Anon-O-8:09pm--

You are correct - Mary has been nothing if not courteous to Mr. Baldrey.

Then again, she has made a go of this entire enterprise by fostering widespread participation and discussion, something that certain members of the pro-media punditry of this province are clearly loathe to do.
 
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