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."
In all incidents, the suspect and victim were not known to each other, and there was no interaction between the two prior to the alleged assaults. The Metro Vancouver Transit Police General Investigation Unit linked this series of assaults to one suspect.
Eligible ICBC customers renewing policies effective on or after May 1, 2022, will have the option to renew their policy using their computer, tablet or mobile device.
Security expert Wesley Wark says declaring a public order emergency under the never-used law would give the government power to control streets near the Hill now jammed with vehicles.
Bill Barisoff told the B.C. Supreme Court trial of the former clerk of the legislature Craig James that he only saw some documents connected with benefits after the RCMP began investigating James, and when letters and memos were sent to him by the Crown.
Currently, there is no access to 176 Street south of 8th Avenue. In addition, 0 Avenue is blocked at 184 Street to westbound traffic. Police continue to work with area residents to keep the neighborhood near the border to local traffic only.
On January 9, 2022, just after 6:30 a.m., Burnaby RCMP received a call from an Uber driver reporting that he had been assault by a passenger near Manchester Drive and Government Street in North Burnaby. When police arrived, the suspect was no longer on scene.
