Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2022 01:30 PM
VANCOUVER - A special prosecutor says British Columbia's former clerk of the legislative assembly used public funds to enrich himself in "glaring and egregious" ways.
Brock Martland made the allegation as he began closing arguments in the Crown's case against Craig James, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of breach of trust.
James's defence is expected to present its case Wednesday.
Martland says that as the most senior officer of the legislature, James held a position akin to the CEO and was responsible for financial stewardship of the institution.
He accused James of acting outside of his duties by picking up a wood splitter and trailer for the legislature and storing them at home for a year, exploiting a weakness in the system to award himself a $258,000 retirement benefit and charging souvenirs to the public purse.
Martland says public trust in government officials is a critical part of a functioning democracy, and he alleged that James violated that trust.
"This case is about trust, specifically the public trust that we place in government officials," Martland told the court on Tuesday.
"Our position is that the public trust was violated repeatedly and extensively by Craig James."
The Mounties say since enforcement of the court injunction began on May 17, 142 people have been arrested, at least nine of whom have been arrested more than once.
"We have seen new outbreaks in recent days and we all need to take our precautions to prevent more," she says, adding masks will still need to be worn until about July even by people who have had two doses of vaccine because vaccines alone are not fully protective against infection.
Canada won't be rushed into reopening its border with the United States to non-essential travel, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday as new COVID-19 case counts continued to drop in much of the country.
The prime minister was spotted Monday walking with a cane after leaving an event announcing federal loans for Black entrepreneurs. Spokesman Alex Wellstead says Trudeau sprained his ankle while playing Frisbee with his children at home over the weekend.
The RCMP say an officer in Prince George was conducting an investigation shortly before 7 a.m. on Monday when a physical altercation occurred with a suspect.
