The Legislature Raids

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By Robin Mathews
October 20, 2010

The shocking end of the Basi, Virk, and Basi trial has produced reviews, chronologies, and newstories.  And "thinkpiece" columns by the the thought-moulders of the rancid Mainstream Press.

Rafe Mair (NOT Mainstream Press)) is alleging - at the very least - slippery reporting by William Berardino QC of the process leading to the wipe-out of the trial.  Mr. Mair wants the public to know (what every school child SHOULD be able to intuit, but maybe can't) that the decision to do a deal with the accused and pay for all of their costs had to involve Gordon Campbell, the Attorney General Michael de Jong ... and maybe more: "cabinet".

Mr. Mair is suggesting, I believe, that the political decision at the highest levels was taken to shield guilty major players from any further exposure and - perhaps - necessary court action against them.

The Mainstream Press has begun already to do what it can to destroy the Basi, Virk, and Basi story, to end it, to rub it out.  The role of the Mainstream Press and Media in British Columbia is, largely, I allege, to front for the Gordon Campbell group and to distract attention from any suggestion of wrong-doing by that group.

And so Ian Mulgrew, October 18.  His column is so bad the mind boggles at it.  We have heard, he writes. "the most provocative and unsubstantiated rumours imaginable, primarily that the Liberals used sleight of hand to flip a $1-billion-plus public asset to their corporate friends at CN Rail for a bargain-basement price.  No proof of that materialized."

Having sat in the courtroom probably ten times as often as Ian Mulgrew, I would say his statement is wrong, that Defence presented much evidence to call Mr. Mulgrew's statement into serious, serious question.  I would say it is irresponsible of Ian Mulgrew to write what he wrote.  I believe that  - to the satisfaction of most reasonable British Columbians - proof did materialize of the Liberals use of "sleight of hand".

He goes on:  "In the end, not a scintilla of evidence was offered to support the theory that these two civil servants acted on the orders from the premier's office to shore up a phoney asset auction by keeping OmniTrax involved."

That statement, I believe, is beyond comment.

Then there's Les Leyne of the Victoria Times Colonist (October 19, 2010)   In effect, he tells us "a couple of aides" were nobodies, doing dumb private acts.  Probably the key thing he writes in the column - for the good of the Campbell group - is "there is no evidence any politicians were involved in criminal acts".

There is no evidence that any politicians were involved in criminal acts - I have been writing for years, - because no politicians underwent the full investigation that would be necessary to produce that evidence.  When I asked top RCMP officer, Gary Bass, to undertake that investigation, he refused.

Mr. Leyne knows as well as I do, I am sure, that Finance Minister Gary Collins WAS under investigation, and that the investigation was terminated without any record of the termination.  During  pre-trial hearings, Mr. McCullough for the Defence declared Mr. Collins was under investigation.  Justice Elizabeth Bennett stopped him to say that Collins was under surveillance, not investigation, as I remember her words.  Mr. McCullough came back that the RCMP officer notebook(s) refer to the "investigation" of Gary Collins.  When Mr. McCullough reported there was no record of the termination of investigation, Justice Bennett expressed surprise, saying there must be record somewhere.

That is the Elephant in the room: the depth of improper involvement by the Gordon Campbell group in the corrupt transfer of BC Rail to the CNR.  That is the primary issue.  That is the matter that was - I allege - circumvented purposefully from the start, by every means possible.

We may be sure the workers for the Mainstream Press and Media will do all they can to bury that Elephant under an increasingly large pile of horse manure, and that the owners of the Mainstream Press and Media will give their employees all the room they need to shovel it on.