The upcoming trial of David Basi, Bob Virk and Aneal Basi this year will feature a number of connections to the past federal Liberal Party leadership campaign in British Columbia of former Prime Minister Paul Martin.
While no aspersions should be cast on Martin or his BC team, and none of those members are facing any charges, it is interesting to note that several individuals are expected to be called as witnesses, including key Crown witness Erik Bornmann, who was responsible for "Operations" on the campaign and was also a federal Liberal Party in BC executive member.
Bornmann is alleged in police documents to have bribed David Basi and Bob Virk to get confidential BC government information about the $1 billion BC Rail privatization. Bornmann and Brian Kieran, another Crown witness, were lobbyists acting for OmniTRAX, one of the BC Rail bidders.
This organizational chart for the Paul Martin Liberal Leadership - BC Team was obtained by me in 2004 and has been written about in my past columns for the Georgia Straight newspaper but has never been published before now.
[CLICK on chart for larger version]
Others listed here include Bruce Clark, whose home was searched by police, who alleged in "information to obtain" documents that they expected to find confidential BC Rail documents there. Clark was also an executive member of the federal Liberals in BC; Mark Marissen, the strategist credited with Stephane Dion's upset Liberal leadership win and now federal Liberal national campaign co-chair, who was visited by police and who has publicly stated he gave them documents that he thought may have been helpful; and Amar Bajwa, a federal Liberal organizer who defended David Basi in the days after the BC Legislature raid and was membership chair in Vancouver South when then-Liberal cabinet minister Herb Dhaliwal lost control of his riding. Bajwa and Clark's names were also "identified" in police ITO documents but were not under investigation, the ITO said.
Dhaliwal publicly blamed David Basi for that takeover by Martin forces. Basi was also very active in the Martin campaign but is not listed on this chart.
While no aspersions should be cast on Martin or his BC team, and none of those members are facing any charges, it is interesting to note that several individuals are expected to be called as witnesses, including key Crown witness Erik Bornmann, who was responsible for "Operations" on the campaign and was also a federal Liberal Party in BC executive member.
Bornmann is alleged in police documents to have bribed David Basi and Bob Virk to get confidential BC government information about the $1 billion BC Rail privatization. Bornmann and Brian Kieran, another Crown witness, were lobbyists acting for OmniTRAX, one of the BC Rail bidders.
This organizational chart for the Paul Martin Liberal Leadership - BC Team was obtained by me in 2004 and has been written about in my past columns for the Georgia Straight newspaper but has never been published before now.
[CLICK on chart for larger version]
Others listed here include Bruce Clark, whose home was searched by police, who alleged in "information to obtain" documents that they expected to find confidential BC Rail documents there. Clark was also an executive member of the federal Liberals in BC; Mark Marissen, the strategist credited with Stephane Dion's upset Liberal leadership win and now federal Liberal national campaign co-chair, who was visited by police and who has publicly stated he gave them documents that he thought may have been helpful; and Amar Bajwa, a federal Liberal organizer who defended David Basi in the days after the BC Legislature raid and was membership chair in Vancouver South when then-Liberal cabinet minister Herb Dhaliwal lost control of his riding. Bajwa and Clark's names were also "identified" in police ITO documents but were not under investigation, the ITO said.
Dhaliwal publicly blamed David Basi for that takeover by Martin forces. Basi was also very active in the Martin campaign but is not listed on this chart.
5 comments:
Interestingly, the list includes the name of Sophia Leung who was asked to step aside in Vancouver Kingsway for David Emerson, and Patrick Maloney who lost out on the lpcbc presidency in favor of the Marissen backed Jamie Elmhirst.
Bill,
You shouldn't forget about the defence disclosure application stated in Para 133 that "statements and allegations made by Erik Bornmann against Bruce Clark involve an allegation that Bruce Clark bribed Dave Basi."
This revelation forced Mr. Clark to go public and deny the allegations made by Mr. Erik Bornmann. Mr. Bornmann did not offer any comment.
It is clear that the links to the Federal Liberals and the Bornmann crowd will become clear when the trial begins in March.
Bill:
You have some truly awesome sources.
This LPC/BC 2002 org-chart will really get the "aging" and power-emasculated Martinite/Dion Youth in a lather.
I hear Marissen is in deep do-do with the Quebec Wing of LPC and I'm sure your blog and this chart are going really wreak the Senator's weekend.
Forget the break-in; you may have a full-scale Jihad on your hands.
Did Bornmann say anything about other Paul Martin types?
Has Prosecutor Berardino produced any explanation at all for the failure to charge Bornmann with offering a bribe? Will he be expected to?
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