Basi, Virk warrant information released

The B.C. Supreme Court has released large portions of the information from the search warrants related to the police raid at the B.C. legislature in December 2003, that led to charges against two former B.C. Liberal ministerial aides.

• FROM DEC 22, 2004: Two former government aides charged

Police carry files out of B.C. legislature on Dec. 28, 2003

It lists $24,000 in payments made to Basi by Bornman who has not been charged, and is expected to testify for the Crown against Basi.

Police allege Basi referred clients to Bornman, and also passed information and documents to the lobbyist.

The money was allegedly passed to Basi through his cousin Aneal also a government employee who would received cheques from Bornman for "contract writing services."

• LINK: Warrant detailing the preceding allegations (.pdf)

The warrants also allege that David Basi and former Ministry of Transportation aide Bob Virk received money indirectly from OmniTRAX, a bidder in the BC Rail privatization process.

The warrants allege the money came in the form of a trip to Denver. Basi and Virk flew to Denver and attended a Monday night NFL game. Police say OmniTRAX supplied the football tickets and the two were joined at the game by an OmniTRAX official.

The warrants allege that Basi later told then-finance minister Gary Collins that it was just a personal trip, and that he had paid his own way.

The warrants allege the $3,000-tab was paid by Brian Kieran, another one of the principals with the Pilothouse lobbying group.

• LINK: Warrant detailing the allegations stemming from the trip to Denver (.pdf)

As a result of this investigation, part of the BC Rail privatization was cancelled. Before that, CP Rail had pulled out of the bidding for the main BC Rail line, complaining of an unfair bidding process.

Basi and Virk, who are brothers in law, are scheduled to go on trial in June facing fraud and breach of trust charges.

• INDEPTH: B.C. raids

A special prosecutor has also approved four new charges against Basi alleging fraud and breach of trust in relation to an application to remove property from the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Two other men are also charged in the case. Victoria developers Tony Young and Jim Duncan have both been charged with three counts of fraud on the government and one count of breach of trust.

Basi's lawyer, Michael Bolton, dismisses the latest allegations against his client.

"He has no connection with the Agricultural Land Commission. Secondly he has no ability to influence those decision. Only an idiot would think he can influence those decisions."

The charges are relateed to a 650-home subdivision by Young and Duncan's company Swiftsure Developments in Sooke, just outside of Victoria.

The development has since been approved, and is now almost half built.

Sooke Mayor Janet Evans said the project has all the proper permits to continue construction, and the district has no plans to change that.

Basi will appear in court on the latest charges on April 27.