WithCookieDoughVille
The following is an overview of the latest developments at the Cullen Inquiry, courtesy Global's Sam Cooper:
The CEO of the BC Lottery Corporation has told a public inquiry that he was concerned that raising bet limits in B.C. casinos to $100,000 per hand in 2014 could “open the door to larger scale money laundering” via high rollers from China using mysterious cash from underground banks, but that the corporation decided to do it anyway...
So.
What did the good Mr. Lightbody do about it back in the BC Liberal gov't day?
Well...
...(Lightbody) said he became aware of increased risks following a casino review in 2011, and subsequently delegated risk mitigation to a Lottery Corp. vice-president named Terry Towns.
“I can’t recall specifics,” Lightbody told the inquiry. “I’m sure he did something.”...
Hmmmm....
Mr. Lightbody went on to say that, at the time, he and his decided against even the small step of asking the high rollers to declare the source of their income because:
...Lightbody said he believed asking Chinese VIPs to declare their source of funds would have impacted Lottery Corp. revenue...
And then this happened:
...(Lightbody) said he was told that the BC Liberal minister responsible at the time, Mike de Jong, “would deal with this from an enforcement side.”...
Is that the sound of a vice presidentialish-type object being thrown under a proverbial bus that we just heard?
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Mr. Lightbody went on to say that, at the time, he and his decided against even the small step of asking the high rollers to declare the source of their income because:
...Lightbody said he believed asking Chinese VIPs to declare their source of funds would have impacted Lottery Corp. revenue...
In fact, it wasn't until the Horsemen stepped in in 2015 that Mr. Lightbody was shocked (shocked I say!) to learn that something truly nefarious was going on (because apparently he previously thought garden variety money laundering was just fun and games?):
...“(The RCMP said) there was a potential tie-in with transnational terrorist financing,” Lightbody said. “I was blown away.”...
...“(The RCMP said) there was a potential tie-in with transnational terrorist financing,” Lightbody said. “I was blown away.”...
And then this happened:
...(Lightbody) said he was told that the BC Liberal minister responsible at the time, Mike de Jong, “would deal with this from an enforcement side.”...
Unfortunately, Mr. De Jong's 'deal' was not a full meal. Instead, it turned out that it was actually stuffed with rhetorical empty calories:
...(I)n 2016, when B.C.’s assistant deputy minister for gaming directed Lightbody to require gamblers to declare their source of funds, the Lottery Corp. decided not to apply the rule broadly to all large cash transactions, the inquiry heard.
Lightbody said he confirmed with Cheryl Wenezenki-Yolland, the deputy minister for gaming at the time, that the “minister didn’t mean all cash transactions” needed a declaration on source of funds...
...(I)n 2016, when B.C.’s assistant deputy minister for gaming directed Lightbody to require gamblers to declare their source of funds, the Lottery Corp. decided not to apply the rule broadly to all large cash transactions, the inquiry heard.
Lightbody said he confirmed with Cheryl Wenezenki-Yolland, the deputy minister for gaming at the time, that the “minister didn’t mean all cash transactions” needed a declaration on source of funds...
Sheesh.
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Subheader?....As per usual with this kind of historical-type stuff, Sean Holman's 'Public Eye' archives have the goods!
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Subheader?....As per usual with this kind of historical-type stuff, Sean Holman's 'Public Eye' archives have the goods!
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14 comments:
Minister de Jong provided a report covering fiscal 2015/16 to the Legislature (and therefore thee and me) that included this statement:
“In summer 2015, there was a significant increase in the number of large and suspicious currency transactions being reported at B.C. gambling facilities. GPEB immediately responded to these concerns by advising BCLC to enhance its AML policies by incorporating additional Customer Due Diligence and Know Your Customer policies and practices, with particular emphasis on appropriate consideration of evaluating source of funds prior to cash acceptance. The Minister of Finance also directed BCLC to implement AML compliance best practices with appropriate consideration of evaluating the source of wealth and source of funds prior to cash acceptance.”
Now we learn that “appropriate consideration” did not apply to Chinese high-rollers.
The testimony of ministers de Jong and Coleman should prove interesting.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/gambling/gambling-in-bc/reports/annual-rpt-gpeb-2015-16.pdf
Lew--
Exactly.
That was some 'deal' that Mike de Jong 'deal'.
It's like the entire province was being run by a flock of Milo Minderbinders.
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deal as in the cards or drugs or what?
Anon-Above--
Empty meal deal perhaps?...After all, the first rule of Minderbinderousness is to keep the dollars flowing with a cut for everybody (at or near the top)!
And never, ever underestimate the power and influence of the hockey bag bund!
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These two are modern day sluts earning money by f-----g the little guys. Little did we know. I was a liberal member until this group cane into power and will not trust the right side ever again. Was just wondering these folks were socreds and ran that party into oblivion, now they have done the same to the liberal party whats next are they going to form a new party or are they going to become conservatives.
Anon-two-above--
you threaten, I delete....
Great Canadian Casino C.E.O. – the owners of River Rock, should have kept a low profile whist the enquiry goes on. He should invited to be in the hot seat answering some pointed questions, so to speak.
https://thebreaker.news/business/vaccine-tourist-gambling-tycoon/
Keith--
Jody Paterson has more.
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Ross,
"appropriate consideration” should be given to Mr. Baker.
Keiith--
Indeed.
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None of it surprises me. Gave me a good laugh though. Bloggers were covering this years ago. Wonder where the Vancouver Sun was back then. Now we have Sam Copper reporting but that wasn't going on back in the day.
Every one, well specifically a hell of a lot in government, and their friends, in my opinion were making just too much money which in turn helped those laundering money via our real estate market.
You could write a comedy movie script on all of this. Reminds me of one of those old 3 stooges comedies, each blaming the other. Well the B.C. Lieberals during this time period did remind me of the 3 stooges and the corporate media as Groucho Marx, who mimed.
Not asking Chinese gamblers for the source of their money was to not "insult" them. It also gave them card blanche on how they acted. they were being bowed to by the government of the day. They were free to do as they wanted.
As always one does have to wonder where the Richmond RCMP were on all of this give the River Rock was in their jurisdiction.
e.a.f.--
Sean Holman was all over the early stages of this but, as he wrote recently in the the Tyee, the proMedia 'round here pretty much ignored it.
Even now the Dean of the legislative press gallery seems to be spending most of his time nitpicking ADix and BHenry.
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small brain deal with small stuff, in my opinion, hence the nitpicking.
What goes on with the RCMP in this province really needs some "investigation". the B.C. Lieberals have gone but the RCMP remains and its the same old stuff.
Over at Gangsters Outs he is reporting on perhaps some sort of deal with the Bacons and some other sleazie stuff. Now some of what he writes is just a tad too far out for me, but his coverage of Ms. Buziak's murder does give one pause to wonder what is really going on with that. Then when you look at what is going on with the Surrey 6 murders, a mess in the casino industry is just so "normal" in my opinion of course.
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