XPost: bc.politics, van.general, vic.general   
      
   After the Air India trial.   
      
   Foreign assholes.  Native-born assholes.  If they lose, make THEM pay for the   
   trials out   
   of their own pockets.  And make TWO copies of all witness tapes.   
   ____________________________________   
      
   The Province - June 7, 2010   
      
   Basi-Virk trial judge asks jury if they can stay for 10 months   
      
   Jurors in the Basi-Virk trial were told Monday that the case may run until the   
   end of   
   March, a dramatic increase in the time originally estimated.   
      
   B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Anne MacKenzie told the jury, which   
   has been   
   waiting for more than two weeks for the trial to resume following several   
   adjournments,   
   that in their absence trial scheduling matters were discussed.   
      
   She said the original estimate of five to six weeks for the trial, given   
   during jury   
   selection, had changed.   
      
   “Can you accommodate us until the end of March with whatever miscallaneous   
   days you need   
   off?” asked the judge.   
   “That’s the surprise, because that’s what the scheduling is. I know that   
   you’ve been   
   extremely cooperative but we would be and are prepared to accommodate you.”   
      
   The judge said the new schedule will likely call on the jury to have much of   
   the summer   
   off and two weeks at Christmas.   
   “There are many long trials in this courthouse,” she added. “That’s the way   
   longer trials   
   run, with accommodations.”   
   The judge did not go into any details about the reasons for the sudden   
   increase in trial   
   time required.   
      
   Several jurors nodded their heads and the judge asked the 12-member panel to   
   retire to   
   consider her request.   
      
   About 30 minutes later, the jury returned.   
      
   The judge said that she understood that 10 of the jurors are able to continue   
   with the   
   trial but that two needed to take the evening to consider their availability.   
      
   She said the lawyers in the case were planning to return to court Tuesday   
   morning to   
   continue their consideration of the scheduling issues, looking at how long   
   each witness is   
   expected to take.   
      
   The judge asked the two jurors to advise the sheriff by Tuesday morning if   
   they are able   
   to continue and asked that the entire jury return to court on Wednesday.   
      
   Where the number of jurors goes below 10, a mistrial must be declared.   
      
   Two alternates are chosen during jury selection but are excused once the trial   
   gets under   
   way if they are not required.   
   Outside court, the lawyers had little comment.   
      
   NDP justice critic Leonard Krog said that “obviously the trial is not getting   
   off to a   
   quick start. This is not a horserace, clearly. It’s more the engine getting   
   revved and we’re   
   moving forward but very, very slowly.”   
      
   Krog added that he never thought the trial would take six weeks, that it was a   
   “very low”   
   estimate.   
   “Whatever reasons may be offered by either the Crown or defence for that, I   
   just think   
   that’s grossly inadquate, given the number of documents that were known to be   
   part of this   
   case.”   
      
   The trial was to have begun May 17 but was delayed for a day due to issues   
   that were   
   discussed in the absence of the jury.   
   Those submissions cannot be reported on due to a publication ban imposed on   
   anything   
   discussed without the jury.   
      
   The first witness, Premier Gordon Campbell’s chief of staff Martyn Brown,   
   testified for   
   three days.   
      
   However at that point the trial came to a grinding halt, before Brown could   
   complete his   
   cross-examination.   
      
   First, one of the accused, Aneal Basi, fell ill and the case was delayed for a   
   week.   
      
   Then other issues, which again cannot be reported on, arose.   
      
   David Basi and Bobby Virk, former ministerial aides in the Campbell   
   government, have   
   pleaded not guilty to breach of trust and fraud. The’re alleged to have traded   
   confidential information about the controversial $1 billion sale of B.C. Rail   
   in exchange   
   for   
   benefits.   
      
   Aneal Basi, a cousin of Dave Basi, has pleaded not guilty to money-laundering.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)