Monday, January 15, 2007

Basi-Virk Trial Date Finally Set - April 2, 2007; Defence to Challenge Wiretap Evidence, Search Warrants Used In BC Legislature and Other Raids

At a BC Supreme Court hearing this morning Justice Elizabeth Bennett set a date of April 2 for the second-most awaited criminal trial in British Columbia - the trial of David Basi, Bob Virk and Aneal Basi - on a variety of charges, including breach of trust in connection with the $1 billion privatization of BC Rail.

And lawyers for the defence indicated that they will challenge the wiretap evidence and the search warrants executed over three years ago on December 28, 2003 on the BC Legislature and other private and commercial premises through a Charter of Rights challenge to be heard on March 5.

Defence lawyers will also file another disclosure application on February 26, seeking more information from the Crown.

In a short 20-minute session marked by cooperation between defence lawyers and the special prosecutor, Justice Bennett set March 7 at 9 a.m. for an update on progress on disclosure of evidence in the RCMP Project Room, as granted in a previous hearing.

The examination of Project Room information should be completed in a couple of days, Justice Bennett was told.

Regrettably I could not attend today's hearing but am indebted to a reporter who was there for this update information. CKNW Radio AM 980 ran several stories today on the hearing.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Strange, Nixon (Elmhirst) quit today.

Anonymous said...

This deal is rushing right along. Might be a feature of the 2010 games

Anonymous said...

The sudden resignation of Elmhirst is eerily similar to Kieran's "retirement" in April 2006 just days before search warrant material was released in which Kieran and Bornmann admitted to offering benefits (money) to basi and virk. I don't buy the reference to other commitments!

Anonymous said...

You ain't gonna have Elmhirst to kick around anymore !

Anonymous said...

"People have got realize their President isn't a crook"
. . . Richard Milhouse Nixon