Two years have passed since B.C. began an inquiry on money laundering that implicated politicians. This week, a commission tasked with the inquiry will begin interrogating politicians about the dirt cash schemes that distort the province’s economy.
Christy Clark, a Former Liberal Premier, Minister Rich Coleman, and NDP Attorney-General David Eby will appear before the commission. Sam MacLeod, the assistant deputy minister of the regulatory Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch.
Clark was the premier from 2011 to 2017, at a time suspicion of cash swamp in B.C. casinos was high. The public will probably like to reconnect that of Tuesday’s hearing. Although she has been mentioned at the inquiry, she will only explain how her administration dealt with money laundering.
Shirley Bond, interim Liberal leader, a former minister, the former attorney general will also give a more detailed view of that era during Tuesday’s inquiry. She witnessed RCMP abandon the policing of the casinos.
On Friday, Michael de Jong, a former attorney general, will give a testimony on how the previous administration knew and what it did in that timeframe. Eby will appear before the commission on 26th April, he has been vocal in lambasting his predecessors for turning a blind eye on casinos while they proceeded with crimes.
The focus has now shifted from what happened inside the casinos to the underground banking and the police. Casinos did what they do, rolling in cash and provided information to the authorities. Lottery Corp in the province also asked Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch and RCMP to investigate, but the problems were ignored.
The RCMP began looking into the matter in 2015 but didn’t succeed with the prosecution. Between 2010 and 2012, the RCMP investigated a money-laundering probe but failed to link it to a crime. There is no clear information about the social impact of money laundering.
After several years of unsuccessful investigation, the federal government has launched new initiatives to combat money laundering in B.C. That includes funding RCMP to establish an Integrated Money Laundering Investigative Team in the province. RCMP had previously complained that they lacked the expertise and resources to provide timely trials.
Prosecuting money laundering criminals is almost impossible, criminals’ money launders uses underground banks, cryptocurrencies, and international trade to wash money. They also mix crime money with the legit fund and move them into a regulated financial channel.
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