Thursday, November 26, 2009
More than 6,000 executive branch documents found relevant to Basi Virk Case
VANCOUVER — A judge was told Thursday that about 6,600 documents from the executive branch of the provincial government have been found relevant to the Basi-Virk political corruption trial.
Court-appointed lawyer Lou Webster told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Anne MacKenzie that he has reviewed 16,000 of 24,000 documents and found 6,600 to be relevant and some were highly relevant to the sale of BC Rail.
The documents are from the executive branch, which includes Premier Gordon Cambell, his cabinet minister and staff.
The court was initially told last summer that all of the cabinet e-mails related to the sale had been erased but government workers later found documents on back-up tapes going back only to 2004.
Webster told the court that he still has 30,000 pages of 42,000 pages of MLA documents to review, which he expects the Crown to get to him by next week.
The judge scheduled the matter, which is described as third-party document disclosure, to return to court Jan. 19.
The case will return to court Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. for a case management conference concerning defence applications to challenge wiretaps and search warrants. The case stems from a police probe of the BC Rail bidding process, which led to a raid on the legislature on Dec. 28, 2003. {Snip} ...
Maybe it's because there were more than two RCMP examining them, as with the paperwork originally seized from the Ledge, that there's such a high rate of return on relevant documents.....
How many stones remain unturned in this case? Somewhere, there's a motherlode hidden in the gravel.....washed or otherwise....
I think that the cost of all of this must be considered: defense, prosecution and RCMP investigation. It would have been a good deal cheaper if we had the advertized "most open and accountable government." Whatever it costs, it is worth it if the truth is exposed: it will yield the benefit of deterring future fraudsters, and it might cause the citizens to sit up and take their province back.
And I further ask as others have before me: Is Campbell absolutely devoid of any scruples?
Maybe what we are looking at here is just the tip of the iceberg. Sooke/ALR development and the BC Rail sale to CN Rail.
What "security bubble" did the defendants see themselves inside when they started to .... alleged.... go down the path of breach of trust, not on just one charge, but multiple when it comes to Dave Basi?
If the Basi Boys had managed to transfer their organizing skills to the Federal level, what kind of back room dealing of a government at that level would we now be shackled with.... yes I know we now have a Conservative government and it was the Liberals that were in power then..... but why, oh why, would someone with a handsome pay give it all up just to earn monies illegally?
Which a sort of an answer comes from recent Press announcements that something happened seven months ago.. during an election... that wasn't reported by the either the government, RCMP or the Deputy-Ministers-in-charge-during-an-election, the theft of 1400 files which was handled by the temp Solicitor General Rich Coleman because it was his dual Ministry of Housing that was being investigated by the RCMP.
Why the delay Rich, or is this ongoing investigation by the RCMP as explosive as the BC Rail raid, eh.
I agree, and have always thought, from the day police raided the BC Legislature, that we were seeing "only the tip of the iceberg" ...
that's why I have tracked this story ever since. And watched with horror as the pattern was repeated over and over, from BC Hydro to BC Ferries and more.
Thank you for your comment today ... but I must say, it gave me some concern. Yes, you use the word "allege" and you make it clear that you are only speculating, and wondering why certain things were done.
But you come very close to suggesting guilt and I won't go there. It's important that we must not pre-judge this trial.
For Basi-Virk and BC Rail, I want a trial, fair and square and credible. Not a posse. OK?
.
It made me reflect on how some people, possibly lawyers as MLAs, see themselves once they are elected to Office.
They have all this power; they'll make any promise to get elected, and once sworn in they turn around and do what ever they want.
Why doesn't the good Mr. Webster (who, in my opinion, has done a very good job in this role so far) have every single one of those 42,000 pages right NOW!?
(if not yesterday)
.
A few years ago a warehouse that was/is owned and operate by an American co.,stored BC files from health and social services, was broken into.
The then minister of SOL/GEN Coleman, spoke to media and said,'there's no need for alarm'...???
There is a systemic problem here,
wouldnt you say?!
Anon 1:27 ...
Thanks for this ... I can't seem to recall this incident,
do you have any more details?
Thanks, if you can send them.
.
I understand and agree with your point above Mary. However, it is really difficult to say much of anything about Campbell and his merry gang without implying or suggesting guilt, unless we limit ourselves to discussing which wife Lord Gord chooses to appear with at which function on which day.
We can discuss that I guess, as it doesn't imply guilt, just hypocrisy and sleaziness!
The NDP are whining about needing donations - how charming. Perhaps if any of them EVER answered an e-mail concerning an issue of concern I would be willing to send them some dough. Judging from past experience of their not even acknowledging receipt of mail about serious issues, I wouldn't even count on knowing if they received my donation until it showed up on my bank statement!
The answer to BC's problems would perhaps be to let the NDP die from bankruptcy and put the BC liaRs in gaol - and start over!
Deleted emails indeed.
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