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."
Police say this kind of gold is a scrap metal removed from people's mouths by dentists, and investigators believe it may have been taken during a break-and-enter at a dental office or at the home of someone who had been collecting it.
. All three suspects were arrested and further investigation led to seizure of a loaded handgun. All three of the men were identified by police and have ties to gang activity in the lower mainland.
Canada's military mission in Afghanistan ended Thursday, leaving an unknown number of Canadians and their families trapped just hours before suicide bombers staged a "complex attack" on crowds at the airport in Kabul, killing more than a dozen U.S. soldiers and nearly 100 local Afghans.
The group says employees who aren’t fully vaccinated as of Oct. 12 will be placed on unpaid leave of absence. Vaccination will also be required for new hires, students and other personnel working with the companies.
Party leaders hit the road last week just as the fourth wave began to surge and Kabul fell to the Taliban, prompting a desperate push to ramp up evacuation efforts for Canadian expats and former Afghan support staff at the capital's airport. That effort ended early Thursday morning.
The BC Wildfire Service says some of the major blazes — such as White Rock Lake, Tremont Creek and Lytton Creek — were still classified as out of control.
