Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Good Grief, haven't we seen this movie about 50 times before?
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Auditor-General seeks more documents on Basi-Virk $6 million legal fee deal
By Keith Fraser
The Province - November 15, 2011
B.C. Auditor-General John Doyle is heading back to court in a bid to get access to documents related to the government’s controversial $6 million legal payments in the Basi-Virk case.
In July, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Greyell ordered the B.C. attorney-general’s ministry to turn over all records related to the deal.
But in a second petition filed in court this week, Doyle claims that some key documents haven’t been released.
And he seeks to have two Victoria lawyers who were appointed to vet the legal bills in the Basi-Virk case provide their records to him.
The petition says that Doyle is completing the planning stage of an audit of the indemnity policy by which Dave Basi and Bobby Virk got their legal fees paid as government employees.
But Doyle claims that access to many documents over which the attorney-general’s ministry claims either cabinet or solicitor-client privilege has been restricted.
Documents have either been delayed, edited or not released at all, slowing and hampering the audit process, he says. {Snip} ...
“Full and unfettered access is fundamental to an auditor’s role in scrutinizing the management of programs, services and resources he or she is auditing.”
In particular, the missing documents include complete indemnity files for “special” indemnities such as those given to Basi and Virk, copies of invoices from private legal counsel and briefing notes and e-mails.
The petition names two Victoria lawyers, Sandra Harper and Robert Jones, who were appointed as “independent reviewers” to vet the Basi-Virk bills.
But efforts to obtain documents in the possession of the lawyers were rebuffed when counsel cited solicitor-client privilege, says the petition. {Snip} ...
The Basi-Virk deal sparked controversy because the indemnity policy at the time called for the legal fees of government employees charged with criminal offences to be paid as long as they don’t plead guilty or are convicted.
After only a few witnesses had been heard at trial, Basi and Virk pleaded guilty to breach of trust in connection with the $1 billion sale of B.C. Rail. They received conditional sentences.
Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/Auditor+General+seeks+more+documents+Basi+Virk+million+legal+deal/5714849/story.html#ixzz1dpT16mVE
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Auditor+General+seeks+more+documents+Basi+Virk+million+legal+deal/5714849/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
Auditor-General seeks more documents on Basi-Virk $6 million legal fee deal
By Keith Fraser
The Province - November 15, 2011
B.C. Auditor-General John Doyle is heading back to court in a bid to get access to documents related to the government’s controversial $6 million legal payments in the Basi-Virk case.
In July, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Greyell ordered the B.C. attorney-general’s ministry to turn over all records related to the deal.
But in a second petition filed in court this week, Doyle claims that some key documents haven’t been released.
And he seeks to have two Victoria lawyers who were appointed to vet the legal bills in the Basi-Virk case provide their records to him.
The petition says that Doyle is completing the planning stage of an audit of the indemnity policy by which Dave Basi and Bobby Virk got their legal fees paid as government employees.
But Doyle claims that access to many documents over which the attorney-general’s ministry claims either cabinet or solicitor-client privilege has been restricted.
Documents have either been delayed, edited or not released at all, slowing and hampering the audit process, he says. {Snip} ...
“Full and unfettered access is fundamental to an auditor’s role in scrutinizing the management of programs, services and resources he or she is auditing.”
In particular, the missing documents include complete indemnity files for “special” indemnities such as those given to Basi and Virk, copies of invoices from private legal counsel and briefing notes and e-mails.
The petition names two Victoria lawyers, Sandra Harper and Robert Jones, who were appointed as “independent reviewers” to vet the Basi-Virk bills.
But efforts to obtain documents in the possession of the lawyers were rebuffed when counsel cited solicitor-client privilege, says the petition. {Snip} ...
The Basi-Virk deal sparked controversy because the indemnity policy at the time called for the legal fees of government employees charged with criminal offences to be paid as long as they don’t plead guilty or are convicted.
After only a few witnesses had been heard at trial, Basi and Virk pleaded guilty to breach of trust in connection with the $1 billion sale of B.C. Rail. They received conditional sentences.
Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/Auditor+General+seeks+more+documents+Basi+Virk+million+legal+deal/5714849/story.html#ixzz1dpT16mVE
http://www.theprovince.com/news/Auditor+General+seeks+more+documents+Basi+Virk+million+legal+deal/5714849/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
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Comments:
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to listen to the Attorney General in one place saying that they support me. Yet in the documents, in responding to the petition, it says: "The petition respondent opposes the granting of the order set out in all paragraphs, part 1 of the petition." So our concern here is this. As the Auditor has said in the documents: "A proper audit cannot be conducted where the auditee selects the documents and records to be examined." [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
We had the Toope report come through. The minister held up the fig leaf that the previous Attorney General and the one before that had held up, and the public is still no further ahead in finding out why we're out $6 million. So my question to the Attorney General is: will the government of British Columbia, the Liberal party, release any and all documents to the Auditor General so we can finally, finally get to the bottom of this sordid, sordid affair? [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
Hon. S. Bond: I've answered the question. To the member opposite: any document that we have the ability to release — we have done that. In fact, what needs to be done is that the court has to grant an order in order for private solicitor-client privileged information regarding billing information. There are third parties involved, Mr. Speaker. When the court gives that permission, then those documents will be released as directed by the courts
http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/39th4th/H11115y.htm em TROUBLE POSTING
We had the Toope report come through. The minister held up the fig leaf that the previous Attorney General and the one before that had held up, and the public is still no further ahead in finding out why we're out $6 million. So my question to the Attorney General is: will the government of British Columbia, the Liberal party, release any and all documents to the Auditor General so we can finally, finally get to the bottom of this sordid, sordid affair? [DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY]
Hon. S. Bond: I've answered the question. To the member opposite: any document that we have the ability to release — we have done that. In fact, what needs to be done is that the court has to grant an order in order for private solicitor-client privileged information regarding billing information. There are third parties involved, Mr. Speaker. When the court gives that permission, then those documents will be released as directed by the courts
http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/39th4th/H11115y.htm em TROUBLE POSTING
# posted by 
: November 15, 2011 at 8:43 p.m.
: November 15, 2011 at 8:43 p.m.
Hello Mary!
My God what a circus! I think they have shot themselves in the foot in doing this again and they have thoroughly misjudged Mr.Doyle as someone to whom they can play their games on.
They are angering many including myself with these absurd mistakes that only serve to imply guilt on their part, a silly game of hide and seek that can and will blow up in their faces.
Don
My God what a circus! I think they have shot themselves in the foot in doing this again and they have thoroughly misjudged Mr.Doyle as someone to whom they can play their games on.
They are angering many including myself with these absurd mistakes that only serve to imply guilt on their part, a silly game of hide and seek that can and will blow up in their faces.
Don
# posted by : November 15, 2011 at 9:50 p.m.
: November 15, 2011 at 9:50 p.m.
Crown "discretion" is somehow allowed to be a "cherished" part of our justice heritage. Really? Name a single popular movement that ever fought for that so-called value. Name one public benefit from the invocation of same.
# posted by : November 16, 2011 at 3:02 a.m.
: November 16, 2011 at 3:02 a.m.
Time to throw the full weight of the public behind Mr. Doyle methinks...all we have to do is educate them about the truth of BC Rail's theft. Maybe it will happen now...slowly.
Thank God for your stubborn heart Mary, and your willingness to fight a good fight!
Thank God for your stubborn heart Mary, and your willingness to fight a good fight!
# posted by : November 16, 2011 at 9:13 a.m.
: November 16, 2011 at 9:13 a.m.
It will be interesting to see how this parallels Canada's Occupy Movement.
I expect that our warm & sunny winters will ultimately put an end to this "political welfare" nonsense.
This kind of bogus protest by BC's traveling circus of professional "social parasites" just provides ammunition for the right wing to impede any real action against government & corporate corruption and incompetence.
All that's missing from the Occupy Vancouver Circus is having Mike Harris drop off a few kilos of Fraser Institute free-enterprise pot as a thank you, and . . . keep up the good work.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/nyregion/occupy-wall-street-organizers-consider-value-of-camps.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2
I expect that our warm & sunny winters will ultimately put an end to this "political welfare" nonsense.
This kind of bogus protest by BC's traveling circus of professional "social parasites" just provides ammunition for the right wing to impede any real action against government & corporate corruption and incompetence.
All that's missing from the Occupy Vancouver Circus is having Mike Harris drop off a few kilos of Fraser Institute free-enterprise pot as a thank you, and . . . keep up the good work.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/nyregion/occupy-wall-street-organizers-consider-value-of-camps.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2
# posted by : November 16, 2011 at 10:16 a.m.
: November 16, 2011 at 10:16 a.m.
Doyle is doing Gods work. I am in awe!
Go Doyle GO go Doyle GO!
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Go Doyle GO go Doyle GO!
# posted by : November 18, 2011 at 7:34 p.m.
: November 18, 2011 at 7:34 p.m. << Home
