Senior B.C. Lottery official denied official standing at money laundering inquiry
Credit to Author: Gordon Hoekstra| Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2020 00:29:35 +0000
A senior B.C. Lottery official has been denied full participant standing at B.C.’s money laundering inquiry.
In a ruling released Monday, inquiry head. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Austin Cullen declined to give Brad Desmarais the standing, which normally gives the participant the ability to call their own witnesses.
Desmarais, vice-president of casinos and gaming for the lottery corporation, had sought participant standing because the inquiry could raise concerns for somebody in his position.
Desmarais, who was with the Vancouver Police Department for 34 yeas before joining the lottery corporation in 2013, also contended he has considerable expertise in money laundering investigations and played a significant role in the regulation of gaming and casinos for several years that would be useful to the inquiry.
Cullen found that Desmarais’ interests are not sufficiently distinct from those of the lottery corporation to justify separate standing and he could still provide information as a witness. The B.C. Lottery Corp. has already been granted participant standing.
Cullen noted that Desmarais had also not been able to point to any potential or anticipated evidence that may be critical of him or adversely affect his reputation that would justify participant standing.
Participants also normally are able to carry out cross-examination and produce documents, although the commission has not hammered out the exact rules.
The inquiry is expected to begin hearing evidence this spring.
B.C. Lottery Corp. president Jim Lightbody and former BCLC compliance chief Robert Kroeker have been granted participant status.
Other participants approved to date are: the Attorney-General Ministry’s gaming policy and enforcement branch, the federal government, the B.C. Ministry of Finance, the B.C. Society of Notaries Public, the B.C. Law Society, Great Canadian Gaming, Gateway Casinos, the Canadian Gaming Association, the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union, BMW Canada, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Bar Association, the Criminal Defence Advocacy Society, and a coalition comprised of Transparency International Canada, Canadians for Tax Fairness and Publish What You Pay Canada.