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."
Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes says the application by Meng's lawyers to use the documents obtained from HSBC through a Hong Kong court is denied, with her reasons to follow later.
B.C. is reporting 45 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 148,031 cases in the province. This includes a data correction from yesterday, as well as reconciliation of records for cases followed up by the Federal Quarantine Program between March and April 2021.
A Punjabi trucker has been arrested in Canada for smuggling about 112.5 kg of cocaine into the country from the US. Pardeep Singh, 24, who is a resident of LaSalle in Quebec, was caught when his truck entered Fort Erie in Canada from the US.
The federal government is providing up to $1.3 billion to extend Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain line through Surrey and Langley. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement in Surrey today with the SkyTrain line in the background and several protesters yelling in the plaza behind him.
Vancouver Police are looking to speak to the driver of a white Tesla, as investigators believe there is video on the vehicle’s camera that may have captured evidence related to the fatal collision that claimed the life of a 23-month old girl on Tuesday.
