NDP leader Carole James is calling for the Liberals to explain why they used $6 million in taxpayer dollars to pay the legal costs of B.C. Liberal operatives who pled guilty to lesser charges in a deal that suddenly ended a trial linked to the $1-billion sale of B.C. Rail to CN.
James is demanding that all documents and correspondence related to the deal be made public.
"Yesterday's surprise deal resulted in guilty pleas by the accused in the B.C. Rail corruption trial, which should have held them responsible for their legal costs. Instead, the B.C. Liberals decided to saddle taxpayers with millions of dollars for their defence fees," James said Tuesday. "This decision by the government raises troubling questions that must be answered."
On Monday, it was announced that former political aides Dave Basi and Bobby Virk pled guilty to lesser charges in the trial which has been scheduled to run until spring of next year. Their guilty plea - and the revelation that the B.C. government was covering their legal costs - came just before former-finance minister Gary Collins was slated to testify.
Bask and Virk pleaded guilty to four counts linked to breach of trust and accepting rewards or benefits. Charges have been stayed against Basi's cousin, Aneal Basi, who was accused of money laundering.
Basi and Virk were accused of taking bribes - cash, meals, and NFL tickets - in exchange for leaking confidential material about the sale to another bidder, OmniTrax.
James said that there are a number of questions that need to be answered: What role did paying Basi and Virk's legal bills play in reaching the plea deal?; At what point was the offer made and who made the offer?; Was the legal bill payment done with the purpose of stopping the trial?; and what political questions did the B.C. Liberals manage to avoid by halting the case?
The sale of B.C. Rail was a major issue in Prince George in 2003, with CP originally involved in the bidding as well.
A fight in Prince George to prevent the sale of B.C. Rail was based, in part, on B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell's promise not to sell the railway.
The B.C. Liberal government has argued they have not sold the railway, as they retained ownership of the track and rail bed. However, critics noted the deal included a lease that runs nearly 1,000 years, which amounts to the same thing as a sale.
On Tuesday, a heated and unsympathetic Campbell placed the blame for the seven-year-old B.C. Rail scandal completely on the two former government aides who he says acted alone and admitted their guilt.
They're criminals who deserve to be punished, said Campbell.
"Two people acted on their own and acted criminally," said Campbell. "Unfortunately for seven years they've claimed innocence and their lawyers have pretended that they knew they were innocent when they knew they were guilty."
Political scientist Norman Ruff said while the trial may be over, the B.C. Rail sell-off is not.
He said the sell-off of B.C. Rail, particularly given that Campbell made a promise not to sell the Crown corporation in the 2001 election, also gets a renewed shelf life because the public has similar concerns about the decision to introduce the harmonized sales tax.
Particularly surprising about the plea bargain for the guilty plea is the province's decision to pay Basi and Virk's legal costs, which goes against normal policy, noted Ruff, a professor emeritus at the University of Victoria.
Ruff is also questioning Campbell's assertion that the pair acted alone, saying it begs the question why it took seven years to find that out.
With Canadian Press.
