Last spring Black Press' legislature man, Tom Fletcher, informed us that former BC Liberal government Solicitor General Rich Coleman was looking 'forward to testifying at a public inquiry into money laundering'.
Mr. Fletcher also informed us of the following:
"...Coleman was minister in charge of the B.C. Lottery Corporation in 2009 when a dedicated illegal gambling enforcement team was disbanded. A new dedicated team was set up in 2016 as large casinos were operating in Metro Vancouver..."
Minister 'in charge' 'when' the deal went down?
Hmmmm...
It would appear it is time, once again, to return to the actual historical record.
According to Mr. Coleman himself, in an interview with Sean Holman in 2010, (see video above) the good minister in charge was the person who actually, himself, made the decision to dismantle the 'illegal gambling enforcement team' (IGET) in 2009.
In that interview Mr. Coleman initially tells Mr. Holman that the dismantling occurred because IGET wasn't working. When Mr. Holman informs Mr. Coleman that he possesses government paper that indicates his (i.e. Coleman's) ministry was concerned about the IGET budget, Mr. Coleman pivots slightly and states:
"I had a team that wasn't working (i.e. in 2009) and it was costing the taxpayers money. I decided to do it differently and get better results."
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But here's the thing, Postmedia's Sam Cooper recently learned that law enforcement's alarm bells were ringing loudly about rapidly expanding illegal gambling activities in British Columbia in...wait for it... 2009:
A businessman “connected to Asian organized crime” was allowed by a British Columbia government employee to buy part of a B.C. Lottery Corp. casino, according to a confidential RCMP report obtained by Global News.
And the government employee was later hired in a B.C. casino.
The explosive accusation is just one example of organized crime’s alleged infiltration and corruption of B.C. government casinos, according to a January 2009 RCMP anti-illegal gaming unit report...
{snip}
....The minister responsible for reviewing the January 2009 RCMP report and the decision to disband IIGET, former B.C. solicitor general Rich Coleman, has stated the unit was ineffective...
All of which begs the question...
What, exactly, did the good Mr. Coleman and his government do 'differently' and 'better' between 2009 and 2016 as gambling-assisted money laundering came into full bloom in Lotusland?
I, for one, am looking forward to hearing the public inquiry answer that (and many other) questions.
OK?
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12 comments:
In the interview Mr. Coleman says he “doesn’t deal in paper”. Notwithstanding that aversion, he has submitted some paper to the citizens of British Columbia. Mr. Coleman’s 2008/09 annual report to the Legislature for the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch states:
“A core focus for 2008/09 (and continuing into 2009/10) is addressing casino‐related money laundering, suspicious currency transactions and loan sharking activity in conjunction with police of jurisdiction.”
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/gambling/gambling-in-bc/reports/annual-rpt-gpeb-2008-09.pdf
In the transmittal letter to the Legislature concerning his 2009/10 annual report Mr. Coleman writes:
“As of 2009/10, the Integrated Illegal Gambling Enforcement Team has been disbanded. Investigators in the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch continue to work with local police to increase awareness of gaming enforcement issues and identify suspects participating in illegal activities related to gaming.”
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/gambling/gambling-in-bc/reports/annual-rpt-gpeb-2009-10.pdf
His 2011/12 transmittal letter includes this:
“In 2010, I commissioned a review to examine anti-money-laundering (AML) measures at B.C.’s gaming facilities. Released in 2011, the report found that the Province already has a robust anti-money- laundering regime in place, and made recommendations to further strengthen this regime.”
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/gambling/gambling-in-bc/reports/annual-rpt-gpeb-2011-12.pdf
So a team dedicated to a core focus was disbanded without any documented rationale, and a report was commissioned that found everything was hunky-dory. Subsequent annual reports continued to inform the Legislature (i.e. thee and me) that everything was fine.
Actual results differed, as we now know. Hopefully the Cullen Commission will tell us why. Even if Mr. Coleman testifies sans paper.
Check out Ian Reid's Real Story blog
https://web.archive.org/web/20130525143437/http://therealstory.ca/2012-03-25/bc-liberals/pavcos-foi-shenanigans
Come on give Rich a break he just wanted to knob gobble [ I mean hoob noble ] with the wealthy criminals that really run this province. You know who I mean the crooks that backed the liberals.
Perhaps Coleman will get a note from his Doctor to be excused from testifying.
Sure would like to know where the Richmond RCMP were in all of this. Like were they that stupid or that "on the take" to have ignored what was going on at the Casino in their district.
We never did hear how that court case in Nanaimo ended, where Mr. Coleman's fine fingers might have been involved, timber companies, west, pensions, people loosing their logging companies and sued.
Coleman has a lot to answer for, but it is doubtful he ever will. The protestors will eventually be sent to jail for longer time periods than Coleman and any one involved in the money laundering in this province.
Lew--
Thanks for those details, which get pretty darn close to answering the question s posed in the post.
And, just be clear....
Mr. Coleman can't handle 'the paper'.
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NVG--
One of Ian's better posts - thanks for the reminder.
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Anon-Above--
Backers, backers, everywhere!
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e.a.f.--
I agree that Mr. Coleman has a lot to answer for and I, for one, am glad that he has signaled, to the good Mr. Fletcher at least, that he is willing to provide them to the pub. inquiry.
However, to be fair regarding the specific matter raised in the post, it was the Horsemen that raised the alarm back in the day...
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Man!—that question’s really, really begging, ain’t it?
Scotty-
Sure is.
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Going back to Lew's comment.... and, one paragraph higher up in his quote...
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/gambling/gambling-in-bc/reports/annual-rpt-gpeb-2009-10.pdf
It appears that Coleman cut the IIGE Team funding because of challenging economic conditions Were those challenging conditions, political, the budget, or even real?
Coleman seems to have waved the lack of importance of enforcement vs rewarding his voters.
Page 4 of 44
"Despite recent challenging economic conditions and the resulting pressure on the government budget, community gaming grants expenditures remained stable. The allocation of these expenditures changed from 2008/09, with $47.5 million distributed as one time grants, including $33.4 million to organizations supported by the Ministry of Education’s CommunityLINK program, and $10.9 million to organizations supported by the B.C. Arts Council. Recipients of grants from core programs received $112.6 million in 2009/10. In total, the ministry distributed $160.1 million in community gaming grants, an increase of $3.8 million from 2008/09. As of 2009/10, the Integrated Illegal Gambling Enforcement Team has been disbanded.
Investigators in the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch continue to work with local police to increase awareness of gaming enforcement issues and identify suspects participating in illegal activities related to gaming."
I wonder if we will get to hear in a meaningful way from Fred Pinnock.
https://globalnews.ca/news/6082683/rcmp-whistleblower-fails-in-bid-for-standing-in-b-c-money-laundering-inquiry/
and/or Ross Alderson.
https://thebreaker.news/business/lightbody-inquiry/
Don’t be surprised if this endeavour ends up with those in previous high places not being asked or answering anything that resembles a sticky question with legal consequences, nothing finally coming of it except a lot of huffing and puffing re; “we must make ensure this doesn’t happen again” or similar blah blah blah, and armies of lawyers off to the luxury import dealerships.
NVG-
My understanding is that the team was funded by the BCLC which was run by most interesting folks before, during and after the dismantling.
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Keith--
Messr's Pinnock and Alderson have already had a lot to say with, in my opinion, good reason.
If we do not hear their answer to sticky questions it will, indeed, tell us a lot about the inquiry.
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@ Rossk the answers as to who turned off the funding for the Integrated Illegal Gaming Enforcement Team (IIGET) was two-fold. Rich Coleman cut off funding for IIGET in 2009 and five years later Mike De Jong fired the last Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) investigator.
BC NDP website chronology:
https://www.bcndp.ca/latest/updated-again-2019-bc-liberal-decade-dirty-money
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November 2008: Reporter Sean Holman reveals that the BC Liberal party accepted more than $250,000 in donations from private bingo hall and community gaming centre interests between 2002 and 2007. This is despite an internal BC Liberal party bylaw banning donations from gaming.
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April 2009: Then-Housing Minister Rich Coleman eliminates funding for IIGET, disbanding the unit. He suggests the unit was not cost-effective and had failed to produce a business plan. Journalist Sean Holman later publishes a leaked copy of IIGET’s business plan.
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November 2012: The head of the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch identifies 543 suspicious transactions, totalling $39.5M between 2010 and 2011. According to the German report, most occurred at Richmond’s River Rock Casino.
March 2013: Over email, the investigator leading gaming enforcement warns that money laundering is taking place at BC casinos. He suggests that illegal sources are supplying loan sharks with dirty money, who are then supplying gamblers.
Less than a year later, Finance Minister Mike de Jong fires the investigator. No other action is taken.
Thanks, as always, for the most excellent clarification NVG.
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