The BC Prosecution Service has charged a former BC Legislature senior staff member with six criminal offences..Former Legislature Clerk Craig James faces four counts of breach of trust by a public officer and two counts of fraud over $5,000..The clerk is the top non-partisan official at a legislature and reports directly to the speaker..James made a brief court appearance in Victoria, BC on Friday morning and will appear again January 27..In court documents released last month, it was revealed that police are investigating whether the purchase of a wood splitter and trailer by James represented a criminal breach of trust..CBC reported Provincial Court Judicial Justice D. Brent Adair granted an order to Surrey RCMP on April 10, 2019, allowing for the search of documents and data held at the legislature related to the actions James..James has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with his spending while serving as clerk..On November 20, 2018, James and former sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz were suspended and given a police escort out of the building after it was revealed they were under criminal investigation..CBC reported the documents showed police were investigating whether James invoiced the Legislative Assembly $10,030 for a PJ Dump Trailer model D5102 on November 9, 2017, even though he kept the trailer at his home and it never appeared at the legislature. A Wallenstein wood splitter was allegedly invoiced to the legislature on October 27, 2017, for $3,201, but also kept at James’s home..In May, retired chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Beverley McLachlin, released a report on the scandal in the legislature..McLachlin found multiple cases of alleged misconduct committed by James, including the purchase of expensive suits and luggage for his personal use during trips to the UK and the removal of a large amount of alcohol from the legislature to deliver to the home of former speaker Bill Barisoff, CBC reported.. Mossleigh pub briefly opens before authorities move in .Other examples of alleged misconduct identified by McLachlin include James’s claims for reimbursement of the cost of his life insurance premiums, and his improper acceptance of a $257,988 payout from a retirement benefit program in 2012, said the CBC..In announcing he was retiring, James was defiant..“I have had enough. I have been publicly ridiculed and vilified. My family has been deeply hurt and continues to suffer humiliation. In an effort to put an end to that, I have decided to retire and reach a settlement with the Legislative Assembly,” said in a statement..No charges have been laid against Lenz..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
The BC Prosecution Service has charged a former BC Legislature senior staff member with six criminal offences..Former Legislature Clerk Craig James faces four counts of breach of trust by a public officer and two counts of fraud over $5,000..The clerk is the top non-partisan official at a legislature and reports directly to the speaker..James made a brief court appearance in Victoria, BC on Friday morning and will appear again January 27..In court documents released last month, it was revealed that police are investigating whether the purchase of a wood splitter and trailer by James represented a criminal breach of trust..CBC reported Provincial Court Judicial Justice D. Brent Adair granted an order to Surrey RCMP on April 10, 2019, allowing for the search of documents and data held at the legislature related to the actions James..James has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with his spending while serving as clerk..On November 20, 2018, James and former sergeant-at-arms Gary Lenz were suspended and given a police escort out of the building after it was revealed they were under criminal investigation..CBC reported the documents showed police were investigating whether James invoiced the Legislative Assembly $10,030 for a PJ Dump Trailer model D5102 on November 9, 2017, even though he kept the trailer at his home and it never appeared at the legislature. A Wallenstein wood splitter was allegedly invoiced to the legislature on October 27, 2017, for $3,201, but also kept at James’s home..In May, retired chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Beverley McLachlin, released a report on the scandal in the legislature..McLachlin found multiple cases of alleged misconduct committed by James, including the purchase of expensive suits and luggage for his personal use during trips to the UK and the removal of a large amount of alcohol from the legislature to deliver to the home of former speaker Bill Barisoff, CBC reported.. Mossleigh pub briefly opens before authorities move in .Other examples of alleged misconduct identified by McLachlin include James’s claims for reimbursement of the cost of his life insurance premiums, and his improper acceptance of a $257,988 payout from a retirement benefit program in 2012, said the CBC..In announcing he was retiring, James was defiant..“I have had enough. I have been publicly ridiculed and vilified. My family has been deeply hurt and continues to suffer humiliation. In an effort to put an end to that, I have decided to retire and reach a settlement with the Legislative Assembly,” said in a statement..No charges have been laid against Lenz..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694