Lawyer says no proof of corruption needed at former clerk's trial at legislature
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Mar, 2022 04:16 PM
A lawyer for Craig James says there is no proof of corruption needed for a guilty verdict at the trial of the former clerk of the legislative assembly.
Gavin Cameron accused special prosecutors of trying to "rewrite history" in his closing arguments at James's trial in B-C Supreme Court on charges of fraud and breach of trust.
They relate to his claim of a 258-thousand-dollar retirement allowance, his role in the purchase and storage of a wood splitter and trailer and his personal expense claims.
But Cameron argues James's claims were overseen by multiple responsible individuals who never once suggested there was fraud or crime.
There are seven candidates running for the leadership, including legislature members Michael Lee, Ellis Ross and Renee Merrifield; business leaders Gavin Dew, Val Litwin and Stan Sipos; and Kevin Falcon, a former B.C. cabinet minister.
There are 25,959 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 297,682 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 988 COVID-positive individuals are in hospital and 136 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
The purchase of the splitter and a trailer are key elements in the case against former legislature clerk Craig James, who's accused of misspending public money.
Bajwa, a longtime party member and former Surrey mayoral candidate, wants the court to delay announcing the winner of the leadership vote for 15 days in order for the party to provide more details about the audit results and process.
In September 2020, Coquitlam RCMP received information about an alleged drug trafficking network that prompted the Coquitlam Drugs and Organized Crime Section to start an intensive, in-depth investigation. After a thorough multi-jurisdictional investigation, police obtained seven search warrants that were executed between April and December of 2021.
Yet even as the United States became the latest NATO member to commit more forces to the region with the deployment of 3,000 additional troops to Europe, Anand is declining to say when a Canadian decision could come.
