Friday, August 26, 2011

 

BC Rail says Good-bye to Erik Bornmann

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BC Mary comment:  It would be easy enough to ascribe ulterior motives prompting so many news items in Big Media on Erik Bornmann and his amazing "second chance" ... such as, describing him as doubtfully-reformed and therefore unworthy to ply his trade within the [cough ...] sacred halls of BC politics ... whatever. Whatever, it means there's a Bornmann article/editorial today almost anywhere you look. I thought the old stick-in-the-mud Victoria Times Colonist had the best ... and especially, please note that readers may access the Law Society of Upper Canada's documents at the end of  this Les Leyne article here, too. 

[Update: Uh oh!!  Both their links are broken.]


Excerpt:

Les Leyne: B.C. Rail briber wins a second chance

Can a person who falls from a place of privilege through his deliberate breach of the public trust be redeemed? Or is he destined to repeat his misdeeds because of an innate character flaw?

That's how Law Society of Upper Canada panelist Thomas Conway framed his discussion of the fate of the notorious Erik Bornmann, who admitted bribery in the B.C. Rail scandal.

The panel delving into his character has decided there is hope for the 35-year-old, so it approved his application to practise law in Ontario.

But if Bornmann's contrition is genuine, and not just part of some carefully coached strategy to weasel his way back to the high-rolling life, he'll realize he still has a lengthy probation ahead of him.

Although he's moved thousands of kilometres away, British Columbians would probably like to see a lot more atonement. Disgraceful behaviour by him and a cocky, like-minded crew cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars to sort out over seven long years.

{Snip} ...

Bornmann's own testimony to the panel was striking. He said he'd become a power broker and fallen into a pattern of "exchanging favours" as a lobbyist. He told them he'd become arrogant and amoral and admitted to the full range of dishonesty portrayed in Pilothouse's dealings.
Bornmann's fast-paced, highoctane life left little or no time for reflection, Conway recounted. But after the raid, his life became a nightmare.

In Bornmann's words, "I get sick thinking about it. Things just kept exploding for six years, seven years ... leaving this gigantic mess. It has hurt a lot of people.

"There are so many layers of regret and shame to my conduct."

Conway said Bornmann was cast into the wilderness when he lost his law-firm job and had no choice but to face the consequences of what he'd done in his "headlong quest for fame and fortune."
The tribunal accepted that he'd rehabilitated himself.

Bornmann won the day by a narrow margin. One panel member wrote a harsh, 24-page dissent noting "there is no honour among thieves" and that he compounded his criminality by betraying the people he'd bribed.
But the panelist was outnumbered and the law society gave Bornmann another chance.

It's a compelling story of redemption.
But it will take some people a while longer to determine if it's for real.

lleyne@timescolonist.com

Read more:

http://www.timescolonist.com/Leyne+Rail+briber+wins+second+chance/5305225/story.html#ixzz1W9GgUHR8


Read the Law Society documents in the case at:

http://www.timescolonist.com/pdf/Bornmann

http://www.timescolonist.com/pdf/Bornmann-Reasons



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Disclosure: The Law Society of Upper Canada did send me the full report including Reasons for Decision etc. in this case, on the day the panel's decision was rendered. Their messages carried warnings, however, that it was meant for the addressee (that would be me) and not for public distribution (that would be for my blog-readers). So I figured I'd simply announce the result, then wait, knowing that Big Media would be sure to pick this one up. I didn't really expect such blanket coverage of Bornmann's fate, however, as Big Media had been pretty much hands-off for years and years. Was it part of the plan, I wondered? Or sheer relief, that the Bornmann case appears to be over ... at least, until he applies to the BC Law Society for a licence to practice in B.C. 



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Admitted Basi-Briber Fit To Be Lawyer – What A Joke!

The Link - Canada's leading Indo-Canadian Newspaper

August 27, 2011

VANCOUVER— It’s clear that Canadian legal system takes a very White view at who can practice law here. Earlier, the Law Society of Upper Canada turned down a reformed Sikh militant who had passed his bar exam and wanted to be a lawyer in Ontario but they had no problem this week admitting a former B.C. political power broker who admitted to  bribing a BC Liberal insider Dave Udhe Basi in the BC Rail scandal, one of this country’s biggest corruption cases that have not been fully investigated.

The Law Society of Upper Canada held three days of hearings into the case of Erik Bornmann to determine whether he is of good character, ultimately deciding he’s been transformed from a self-described “arrogant, amoral and immoral person” to one who has been humbled by his remorse, reported the Globe and Mail newspaper.

Bornmann was a lobbyist for a Victoria company called Pilothouse. It had been hired by Denver-based OmniTRAX, one of three bidders vying for BC Rail, which the Liberal government decided in 2002 to privatize and sell.

This decision will be seen as another example of we Whites stick up for our own as despite being the briber – Bornmann was given immunity from prosecution by the Crown in exchange for helping the RCMP in the prosecution of Basi, Bobby Virk and Aneal Basi after a raid on their Victoria legislature offices in December 2003.

Bornmann’s home office was also raided, and he quickly acquired a lawyer and negotiated an agreement with the B.C. Crown so he would be spared from possible criminal prosecution.

He moved to Toronto in 2006, where two law firms refused to hire him as an articling student after he told them he may appear as a Crown witness in a criminal case in Vancouver and was let go from a third firm when his past came to light ...

Continue reading ... HERE:

http://thelinkpaper.ca/?p=9517

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Comments:
All the corrupt crap going on in this country, and especially in BC...I now understand why people riot. A criminal briber, gets another chance to commit crime, AGAIN.

The "Harper government" rewards evil corrupt monsters like Campbell. A monster who thieved our BCR. Thieved our rivers. Destroyed our province.

Campbell, Hansen and Harper, collude on the HST, long before the BC election. They force the HST onto the BC citizens...And WE have to pay the money back, to Harper for stealing the HST money from us?

This country is, an entire cesspool of corruption. Our country has been degraded down to, just another corrupt country of the world.

Harper, will owe the BC people, three years of the HST money, that was thieved from us.
 
This makes two. Campbell with a highly visible job and mega dollar tax funded pensions. Now spiderman with an ability to practice law and charge the poor $250 per hour.

Maybe I should come out of retirement.
 
Thought I would this here, this week Times Colonist, note how all the top paid were realetd to Gordon Cambell and BC Rail.


British Columbia's second highest paid public sector executive last year was Allan Seckel, Campbell's former deputy minister and former head of the public service. Seckel took home $923,907, including an almost $550,000 severance package.

Third on the list was Martyn Brown, who until just before Campbell stepped down had been Campbell's longtime chief of staff.

Brown was shuffled into another job before Campbell left, but was let go once Premier Christy Clark took office. Brown took home $653,175.92 last year, including $416,191 in severance.

Another executive who took home a sizeable severance last year is Kevin Mahoney, who had been president of BC Rail. Mahoney collected a $392,000 severance, bringing his annual income last year to $523,456



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Gordon+Campbell+former+advisors+among+paid+public+sector+executives/5328994/story.html#ixzz1WY3n6yaB
 
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