Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Key Basi-Virk Crown witness Erik Bornmann's "good character" hearing to become Ontario lawyer set for November 5 and open to public and media

The Law Society of Upper Canada will hold a "good character" hearing Monday November 5 into the application of Erik Bornmann, key Crown witness in the breach of trust and fraud trial of former ministerial aides David Basi and Bob Virk, to become an Ontario lawyer.

Law Society of Upper Canada Communications Manager Lisa Hall said today by email that the hearing to be held on November 5 in Toronto will be open to both the public and the media.

Hall said that both parties - the LSUC and Bornmann - consented to setting a Hearing Management Tribunal date of November 5 at a meeting on the issue Tuesday, as reported on this blog.

In November 2006 a previously-scheduled "good character" hearing was delayed due to the impending trial of Basi and Virk.

As I reported exclusively in 24 hours and this blog, the hearing into Bornmann's "good character" resulted from a complaint to the Law Society.

Police have alleged that Basi and Virk were bribed by Bornmann to obtain confidential government documents related to the $1-billion B.C. Rail privatization. Bornmann was a lobbyist for OmniTRAX, one of the bidders.

Bornmann's lawyers had wanted the media and public excluded from the originally-scheduled hearing or that a ban on publication of the hearing be imposed.

3 comments:

BC Mary said...

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Bill,

Didn't the U.C.L.S. say, last time around, that Bornmann' "Good character" hearing would have to wait until the Basi Virk Basi trial is concluded?

So is it reading too much into this, to imagine that the BVB trial will conclude before November 5, 2007??

Many thanks for your good sleuthing. Now if you could just discover whether Bill Berardino will reappear in Courtroom 54 on July 16!

- BC Mary.

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Anonymous said...

Bill,

This is utter nonsense. What happened to the earlier statement by Erik's lawyer that said:

"It may be that if the criminal trial is further delayed, there will be a need to proceed with this Hearing without further delay. Erik's professional life cannot be held in abeyance for years." November 21, 2006 BRYAN FINLAY, Q.C.

Did Erik Bornmann release another statement yesterday through his lawyers? Mr. Bornmann may need to change his position again - or maybe he is already begun practicing in New York.

Anonymous said...

Bill
Thanks for keeping us up todate. and since the event will be open to the media , one hopes somebody will report on how things go. another tsist in the BB&V saga and strange things that go on in and around BC dl