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."
Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan) will be the new federal regional economic development agency for British Columbia, providing $553.1 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, and $110.6 million ongoing.
The federal agency said Friday that the job gains caused the unemployment rate to fall to its lowest level since March of this year, at 7.5 per cent for July compared with 7.8 per cent in June.
Guards who work for the Canada Border Services Agency were following procedures to the letter, part of a job action that began early Friday amid contract talks between the federal government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada's Customs and Immigration Union.
B.C. information and privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy's office confirmed the investigation today following a complaint from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
Hundreds of properties in communities east and west of Monte Lake were already under evacuation order, but further evacuation orders had been issued by Friday morning.
Monika Rahman told a British Columbia Supreme Court that the United States has a "very high" standard on what evidence to give in making its case for extradition and the lack of evidence doesn't justify a stay of proceedings.
