B.C. CN - We're Still Waiting For Raid Answers

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British Columbia's voters will go to the polls in three weeks knowing more than they probably care to about the sponsorship scandal in Quebec.

But they know far less about what could be an even greater scandal right here in this province. And they should care about that, because it touches not only officials of the national Liberal party, but the provincial party as well -- the party asking for another four-year mandate May 17.

Since that dramatic police raid on the legislative buildings in December 2003, little information has been released. Search warrants and other evidence are being kept secret under court orders. Intriguing charges have been laid but court proceedings seem stalled.

Those charged with accepting a bribe, influence peddling, breach of trust and fraud were sent directly to B.C. Supreme Court, meaning that there was no preliminary hearing during which a few details of the cases might be made available to the public.

Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm, sounding a trifle impatient, ordered lawyers last month to give some "intelligent answers" as to when the trial can begin and how long it might take. The Crown prosecutor has suggested it might not be possible to begin until January or February -- eight or nine months after the election.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has asked opposition parties to delay forcing an election until after the Gomery inquiry into the sponsorship scandal has completed its business so that voters will have all the facts of that scandal before entering the polling booths.

No one has suggested that B.C. voters -- who are locked into four-year elections in any case -- deserve to know the facts behind the police raid on the legislative buildings before deciding whether to give the Liberal government led by Gordon Campbell a second mandate. It seems that no public inquiry will be ordered. Campbell has shrugged off this suggestion by saying no elected officials are under investigation.

Maybe not, but those who have been interviewed by police have some pretty impressive connections within the provincial or national Liberal parties, or both.

In statements filed with the B.C. Supreme Court by RCMP Cpl. Andrew Cowan, a lead investigator in the case, it's alleged that David Basi, when an aide for former finance minister Gary Collins, and Bob Virk, an aide to former transportation minister Judith Reid, gave out secret information about the pending B.C. Rail sale in an effort to get jobs as chiefs-of-staff with Liberal ministers in Ottawa.

Who could this secret information be valuable to? We don't know, but presumably the feds weren't thinking of bidding on the sale.

The Basi and Virk resumes, according to Cowan's statements, were handled by Erik Bornman, the operations manager for Martin's campaign in B.C., director of communications for the national party on the West Coast, and sometime aide to Martin when he was finance minister.

During the investigation the Mounties also interviewed Mark Marissen, who ran Martin's leadership campaign in B.C., and was responsible for "the B.C. hiring pool" for the transitional government, and Bruce Clark, a fundraiser for Martin's leadership campaign and the party.



Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 Times Colonist
Contact: letters@tc.canwest.com
Website: http://www.canada.com/victoria/timescolonist/