Friday, January 07, 2011

 

The stench of corruption will continue to follow every player in the BC Rail Political Corruption Trial until there's a cleansing by Public Inquiry. To-day, there's something about Erik Bornmann but ... what is it? Or do the players, such as Campbell, Collins, Reid want to keep something hidden. What? Why? Public Inquiry now.

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Lawyer cleared of wrongdoing for writing Bornmann reference letter

By Keith Fraser
The Province - January 7, 2011

 Finance Minister Colin Hansen is defending the recent appointment to the board of a government regulatory agency ... lawyer who wrote a letter of support for a central figure in the B.C. Rail scandal.

In December, lawyer Shannon Salter was named to the board of directors of the Financial Institutions Commmission, which regulates the pension, financial services and real estate sectors in B.C.

Soon after the appointment, a citizen filed a complaint in connection with the decision of Salter to several years earlier write a letter of reference for former lobbyist Erik Bornmann, a key Crown witness in the Basi-Virk case.

Salter was among 15 to 17 people that Bornmann persuaded to write letters to the Law Society of Upper Canada, where Bornmann is seeking to be admitted to the bar.

A good character hearing for Bornmann, who agreed to testify at the Basi-Virk trial under an immunity agreement with prosecutors, is scheduled for March.


{Snip} ...

While he was waiting to testify, Bornmann graduated from the University of B.C. law school and sought to do his articles at McCarthy Tetrault in Toronto.

During a preliminary hearing in Victoria Provincial Court in January 2009, Bornmann admitted that he had failed to make adequate disclosure to the Ontario law firm that he’d been suspected of making unlawful payments to public officials.

Before he could complete his articles at McCarthy, the law firm asked him to resign, following the unsealing in B.C. Supreme Court of the search warrants in the B.C. Rail case, court heard.

Bornmann eventually was able to complete his articles.

In October, Dave Basi and Bob Virk, two former ministerial aides, pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court court in the B.C. Rail case and received conditional sentences. The pleas came before Bornmann could testify at trial.

Court heard that Bornmann had made $25,000 in payments to Basi in exchange for confidential information about the $1 billion sale of B.C. Rail.

The Basi-Virk case is expected to be back in court Tuesday afternoon
[Jan. 11, 2011] for scheduling of an application by the special prosecutor to have all of the material that was disclosed to the defence returned to the Crown.

kfraser@theprovince.com


Read more HERE

http://www.theprovince.com/business/Lawyer+cleared+wrongdoing+writing+Bornmann+reference+letter/4073471/story.html#ixzz1AMI6ArTN

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Comments:
Happy New Year!!!

I want ensure the that someone will be forwarding the search warrants, news articles and any other relevant "Character References" to the Law Society of Upper Canada. If they admit Bornmann every lawyer joke out there will ring true. A sad state of affairs.
 
Hansen's forte, isn't exactly honesty. He and Campbell's election lie, the HST wasn't on their radar, is well remembered. He has a gall, writing a defending letter for anyone.

No doubt the Crown will win, the documents regarding, Campbell's corrupt sale of the BCR. The judicial system, is just as corrupt as Campbell is. The RCMP are no better. The good, decent people in this province, have to stand on their own. The corrupt evil events in this province, are sickening. Campbell belongs in prison. There is no doubt, the BCR documents, will be shredded, as soon as Campbell can get his hands on them. Does De Jong think he would be trusted, to have an inquiry into the corruption, involved in the BCR sale? Not on your Nelly. He thieved our tax dollars, to pay the two patsies, and their legal costs, who said they were just following Campbell's orders. I wish the recall, could be a blanket recall. We need to get this ugly, corrupt, thieving BC Liberal government, run out of our province.
 
The suggestion that she's been 'cleared' of wrongdoing is more or less beside the point. This was not a problem of Ms Salter behaving 'illegally' surely. This was a question, or ought to have been a question, of whether or not it was appropriate for Ms Salter (who I believe has had a personal relationship with Erik Bornman(n)) to attest to the ‘character’ of this individual in regard to his suitability as a lawyer in a jurisdiction where:
(a) She does not currently practice; and
(b) With regard to Bornman(n)’s own ‘character’ as a prospective lawyer.

Since she has neither practiced with Bornman(n) [who is NOT A LAWYER] she can only be providing a personal ‘character’ reference. As such, using her professional status to vouch for him is highly inappropriate…If she wanted to give him a personal reference she ought not be using her status as a lawyer or a professional to underline the ‘importance’ of her recommendation.

Colin Hansen may thing she’s fine – he’d hardly be one to know, would he?
 
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