XPost: bc.politics, vic.general, van.general   
      
   This guy worked for "Liberal" Transportation Minister Judith Reid.  He's now   
   testifying   
   that it was PREMIER GORDON CAMPBELL who ordered a leak to ensure CN became the   
   buyer of BC   
   Rail.  That would put Campbell in the spotlight for pending corruption and   
   breach of   
   confidentiality charges himself !   
      
   And Martyn Brown - Campbell's right hand sidekick and buddy in all things   
   political and   
   corporate for the last 20 years -   
   He "can't remember" ever having such a conversation with Virk ?!   "Can't   
   remember"?  -   
   as in:  'say no and there could be perjury charges down the road'?   
      
   BC deserves better than a Premier charged for drunk driving.   
   BC deserves better than a government whose offices have to be raided by the   
   RCMP.   
   BC deserves more than a government who never stops increasing taxes on the   
   people of the   
   Province - the PST (7% to 7,5% in 2002), the BC Gas Tax (which will go up   
   AGAIN July 1st),   
   and now the HST which will add more than $2,000/year more taxes onto each and   
   every   
   British Columbian.   
      
   Get rid of the "Liberal" government of Gordon Campbell.  When they're not   
   lying to us and   
   taxing us, they're breaking the law themselves:   
   _______________________________________   
      
   Premier ordered leak, BC Rail trial told   
      
   Wednesday, June 9, 2010 | The Canadian Press   
      
      
   Aneal Basi, left, Bobby Virk, middle, and Dave Basi sit in court during the BC   
   Rail   
   corruption trial.   
      
   (CBC)Premier Gordon Campbell instructed a former government aide now accused   
   of corruption   
   to leak confidential reports on the controversial sale of BC Rail, a defence   
   lawyer   
   alleged Wednesday.   
      
   Kevin McCullough told B.C. Supreme Court that his client Bobby Virk's refusal   
   to take such   
   action meant his job as a ministerial aide was threatened.   
      
   "Mr. Virk declined and rebuffed the premier and told him that he could not   
   leak the   
   reports because he was under a confidentiality agreement?" McCullough asked   
   Martyn Brown,   
   the premier's chief of staff.   
      
   Brown called the accusations levelled at both Campbell and himself "ludicrous."   
      
   'The conversation you're alleging that happened, I don't remember it at   
   all'—B.C. Premier   
   Gordon Campbell's chief of staff Martyn Brown   
      
   "I did not do that, and I doubt very much the premier would have had anywhere   
   close to a   
   conversation and he certainly, never in my wildest imagination, would ever   
   counsel such a   
   thing," Brown said.   
      
   When McCullough suggested Brown told Virk his job was "on thin ice" for not   
   complying,   
   Brown said he didn't recall such a conversation and added Virk had been doing   
   "a good job"   
   at the time.   
      
   The confidential reports, which sought the opinions of railway shippers on   
   which company   
   should buy the BC Rail line, were commissioned by the government, the jury   
   heard.   
      
   CP was preferred, says lawyer   
      
   McCullough said that according to the documents, the shippers seemed to prefer   
   CP Rail as   
   the new owner, but CN eventually won the bid in November 2003.   
      
   "It would be a problem for the government if their own internal reports that   
   they   
   contracted to get showed that CP was the shippers' choice rather than CN?"   
   McCullough   
   asked Brown, who disagreed.   
      
   Virk is charged with fraud and breach of trust in relation to the $1-billion   
   sale of the   
   Crown-owned asset.   
      
   McCullough spent a fourth day alleging both Brown and the premier carried out   
   several   
   steps around the privatization sale to ensure CN Rail would eventually win the   
   bid because   
   "the fix was in" from Day 1.   
      
   McCullough alleged Brown used his slogan "problem-solution-benefit," when   
   asking Virk to   
   leak the documents, saying it was a political strategy to put unfavourable   
   information   
   into the limelight so the government would have control over the response.   
      
   McCullough also told the jury that his client tried to warn the premier's   
   office about   
   breaking an election promise not to sell BC Rail, but was ignored.   
      
   McCullough suggested Virk was worried about fallout from hiring CIBC World   
   Markets to act   
   as financial adviser during the sell-off of the provincial asset when the   
   government had   
   made an election promise to put all large contracts up for tender.   
      
   "Virk came to you and told you that CIBC World Markets was going to get this   
   untendered   
   contract for millions of dollars and that they were a friend, a close donating   
   friend, of   
   the government. He told you that," McCullough put to Brown.   
      
   "I don't remember that at all," Brown replied, saying he didn't even know CIBC   
   donated   
   cash to the B.C. Liberals.   
      
   "You don't recall him saying, 'Martyn, we're breaking one election promise   
   selling BC   
   Rail, we shouldn't stick another one on top of it?"' McCullough asked.   
      
   "The conversation you're alleging that happened, I don't remember it at all,"   
   said Brown,   
   who is still Campbell's chief of staff.   
   The privatization of Crown-owned BC Rail was already controversial because the   
   B.C.   
   Liberals had promised during the 2003 election to keep it in government hands   
   — a decision   
   they reversed soon after the election.   
      
   Trial almost derailed   
      
   The testimony comes after a two-week delay.   
      
   The trial was thrown into uncertainty Monday when the judge told jurors that   
   the timetable   
   had jumped from six weeks to more than 10 months. The increase raised the   
   possibility of a   
   mistrial, had not enough jurors been able to change their schedules.   
      
   But with all 12 jurors present Wednesday, Brown resumed testimony for a fourth   
   day.   
      
   Also accused of fraud and breach of trust in the case are Dave Basi, another   
   former   
   ministerial aide, and his cousin Aneal Basi, a low-level government   
   communications worker   
   at the time who is now charged with money laundering.   
      
   The Crown alleges Virk and Dave Basi leaked confidential government documents   
   in relation   
   to the B.C. Rail sale in exchange for cash, trips and meals.   
      
   Charges were filed following an unprecedented search warrant served at the   
   provincial   
   legislature in December 2003 that saw RCMP officers carting away dozens of   
   boxes of   
   evidence.   
      
   On Wednesday, McCullough also put it to Brown that Virk shared his concerns   
   with   
   then-transportation minister Judith Reid, his employer at the time, and with   
   then-finance   
   minister Gary Collins, Basi's employer. Brown said no.   
      
   Brown also said he did not recall Virk warning him of "boondoggle BC Rail   
   severance   
   payments" that were being handed to executives of B.C. Rail.   
      
   "Do you not recall him saying to you that this will be the 'cherry on the   
   cake, we've got   
   to do something about it?'" McCullough asked.   
      
   "No I certainly don't. It's a colourful term, but notwithstanding I don't   
   remember it,"   
   Brown said.   
   ____________________________________   
      
   Read more:   
   http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/06/09/bc-ra   
   l-trial-resumes.html#ixzz0qU3MqImQ   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)