Lawyers want 24 hours info
BASI-VIRK TRIAL
By BILL TIELEMAN, 24 HOURS
Defence lawyers for two B.C. government aides facing corruption charges have asked for a copy of an exclusive 24 hours' Freedom Of Information request as part of their supporting documents in a Charter of Rights application alleging political interference in the case.
The FOI request successfully obtained 100 pages of reports and notes written by a Public Affairs Bureau officer who attended pre-trial court hearings in the B.C. Legislature raid case last year and reported to the B.C. government about media questions and NDP MLAs attending court sessions.
Lawyers for David Basi and Bob Virk, two of the aides who face breach of trust charges, contacted 24 hours for a copy of the notes of Stuart Chase, whose presence in the court was first reported here in May 2007. Because the information has been released publicly the request was granted.
If successful the Charter application could see Premier Gordon Campbell called to testify about defence allegations, as well as Campbell's former deputy minister Ken Dobell, current deputy minister Jessica McDonald and other senior bureaucrats.
In one report Chase quotes Virk's lawyer, Kevin McCullough, as alleging there might be "a privileged relationship that seems to exist between the RCMP and the B.C. Liberals."
The FOI request became the topic of an entire session of Question Period in the B.C. Legislature last year, with Attorney-General Wally Oppal wrongly insisting Chase's duties were to assist the media and public but refusing to release his reports, leading to the 24 hours' FOI.
The pre-trial hearings resume July 14 at BC Supreme Court.
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18 comments:
Long before the Raid of 28/Dec./03 it was no secret among "insiders" about the extent of the aging Young Liberals involvement in a great deal of creative enterprise.
Dozen of these junior Tony Montanas in waiting had been told since 1997 by both the federal and provincial Grits that the "world was theirs"
So when Gordo and Paul came to power, these empowered and now government-employed youth just went for the gusto.
I'm quite surprised the mountains of other scams have not yet surfaced but then we will have to wait for Gordon on Stone-Wally to be out of office.
The GREAT SATAN
Way to go . . . STONE-WALLY !
H.R. Halderman
Keep digging, these crooks need to see justice!
When will the truth be told? Authorities have been making 'back door' deals for some time now! INNOCENT people are having their lives turn up side down because of all these delays and lies. Good people are turning bad. Silencing one from telling the truth, is like forcing someone to say they believe in the devil! Whats with the 'consolation prize' matter that went before the judge recently? Or does that not matter, and we should 'throw back' that matter to the first on the scene. Vancouver, Internal Affairs!@#!
You are an O.K. guy with me STONE-WALLY, you can come to work in my White House anytime.
Tell the Marine Guard at the gate that Dick says it's cleared.
Best Regards ...
Dick Nixon
p.s. Hoover says hello and come for lunch someday, bring your best dress . . . something pink.
Gordo is so arrogant he believes that he's above the Law and can get away with his fascist dictatorial government.
Re:4.5 years for the criminal sale of OUR BC Rail to start to see some day light, Why? I believe too many big names will come to the fore!
I believe that he is doing his job for his new handlers, SPP by taking OUR Public Corporations out of our hands by stealth, thus weakening our streghth and voice just like giving us all these tax breaks that also weakens our voice in all political decisions.
BILL, this trial must have a break through before the next election!
No Trial and No Elections in BC period . . . you just watch me.
BC Premier Robert Mugabe
You are alleging a special relationship between the BC Liberals and the RCMP??
Staff Sgt. Peter Montague would not be amused.
BT: Please put the 100 pages of reports and notes up here on your site. tia
Is there a copy of the Charter Application available?
It would be nice to read for my own understanding of what the defence is alleging.
Sorry - I don't have the capability or time to post 100 pages of notes on this website!
I understand the defence has amended its Charter application and if it is a reasonable length I will try to post it before the July 14 hearing starts.
Give them to me. I'll have them put here within an hour. :)
I listened to your air time today. The audio vault has the segment. I noticed that all three of you plus Leonard Krog MLA who called in , were in agreement that this whole thing will finally get to court. You included th charges for Basi and the two developers getting land from the ALR after three attempts. Money talks, and most loudly in beautiful BC
The 100 pages should be posted to wikileaks.org
In fact I think all foi responses from all media and other sources should go to wikileaks.org
I see no use in keeping foi responses 'siloed' in the recipients office - researchers can always make use of more information. Over time a vast database of open government documents will help make our politicians more accountable.
Sorry Anonymouses 5:34, 2:58 and 1:01 - when I do FOI requests they are for my publications - 24 hours and The Tyee. I spend a lot of time and energy doing these FOIs and so I reserve the right to use them for my writing.
I am willing to share a lot of my information and experience but I also make part of my living writing about this case and don't want to undercut that, particularly when some of my competition don't bother taking the time to do FOIs.
And you are welcome to file your own FOIs following my lead - it's straightforward enough.
Great Satan wrote: "I'm quite surprised the mountains of other scams have not yet surfaced . . ."
Anonymous 9:54 am wrote: "Re: 4.5 years for the criminal sale of OUR BC Rail to start to see some day light, Why? I believe too many big names will come to the fore!"
Anonymous 11:23 am wrote: "You are alleging a special relationship between the BC Liberals and the RCMP??
Staff Sgt. Peter Montague would not be amused."
* * * *
Good question GREAT SATAN: Could it be that the answer to why the "mountain of other scams" have not surfaced big time is contained in the two Anonymous comments re: "big names" that may also be involved with those other "scams" and the alleged "special relationship" between the BC Libs and the RCMP - hmmmmmm?
So it begs the question:
How many times on other corruption allegations files 'handled' by the RCMP in 'good old boy' British Columbia, have received a little nudge, nudge; wink, wink to not advance investigation on certain 'information' deamed 'politically steamy' from the direct 'hot line' that exists between Cambpell's Solicitor General's Office & the Deputy Commissioner Bass's Office? (. . . as was apparent when he was the Asst. Dep. Comm and got his instructions to not investigate the politicians when the lead Officers were set to do so? (revealed in pretrial disclosure)
The new assn't deputy comm. is Bob Paulson a former sgt. Afew years ago Paulson did a BC investigation that pertained to sex-trafficking. Paulson said he was "demoralized" when charges were dismissed."I catch fish, I don't fry em"! "we don't rescue the women because they chose to be prostitutes"! Paulson is in association with VPD det.Scott Dreimel, who was quoted a few years ago by families of the missing women, " these women die off young"...(para phrased). If the Crown doesn't win their case, it is because they can only go by the evidence given to them, by the police!?!
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