BEFORE CHRIST. consider suspending charges in a high profile money laundering case

The Attorney General of British Columbia has stated that the pursuit of the fight against money laundering has been seriously undermined after the suspension of criminal charges in a high-profile case that he describes as the most important in Colombia. -British. l & # 39; history.

David Eby said he was launching a review to determine what was wrong. The issue was an RCMP investigation called Project E-Pirate, which, according to the mounted police, Wednesday focused on an organized crime group suspected of laundering large sums of money through the intermediary casinos in British Columbia.

Charges were laid in 2017 against a CB company and two major operators.

"I am incredibly disappointed by the news," Eby said at a press conference on Wednesday, adding that he also wanted to meet with Federal Border Security Minister Bill Blair. and the Reduction of Organized Crime, to consider the issue.

"It was, to my knowledge, the largest or one of the largest money laundering prosecutions in British Columbia history and, perhaps, in the history of Canada. . His failure is, in my opinion, very devastating for all those who are trying to get out of our economy, "he said.

According to Staff Sergeant Tania Vaughan's statement to the RCMP, the charges were stayed following a joint decision of the Mounted Police and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada for several reasons that the police will not reveal.

"The RCMP is currently conducting a comprehensive review to understand its activities, which has contributed to this suspension and will incorporate relevant lessons learned from its investigative practices and processes as appropriate," said Ms. Vaughan's statement.

The force remains committed to the fight against money laundering and financial crime and is striving to prevent a similar situation in the future, Ms. Vaughan wrote.

Nathalie Houle, Media Relations Advisor for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, stated in a separate statement that the decision was consistent with the service policy to suspend charges if there was no reasonable prospect of a statement of claim. Guilt based on evidence available at trial and a finding that a prosecution would not serve the public interest.

Ms. Houle did not specify.

Mr. Eby said that he did not blame the police, federal prosecutors or the federal government for the failure of the case. But he said that it is clear that something has gone wrong and that it is important to determine why it is difficult to successfully pursue such activities.

"I think it's urgent. I think it's a crisis for our province. I think this is a growing concern for the province and the country. And it's a worrying sign that a prosecution of this magnitude ends shortly before the trial, "he said. "We must all work together to find a way to solve this problem."

In his media interview, Mr. Eby said that he had not yet received any information from federal officials about why the case had failed. He said that he was particularly interested in the question of whether there was a provincial role in the situation.

In June, the government released a report by Peter German – a former deputy commissioner of the RCMP and the Correctional Service of Canada – on money laundering in British Columbia. the casinos. Mr. German found that the province's dysfunctional regulatory regime for casinos had allowed large-scale transnational money laundering by organized crime related to the opioid trade.

In the report, German warned that Vancouver's alleged money-laundering model, which benefited from an inter-agency feud that undermined control, was threatening to infiltrate other sectors of the economy.

Since then, Mr. German has embarked on a new money laundering investigation, examining the use by private lenders of real estate in the Vancouver area to hide drug money, a tactic discovered. in a Globe and Mail survey. Mr. German's new exam includes real estate, horse racing and luxury cars.

Mr. Eby said that given the situation, he was concerned about public confidence in the justice system. That's why I think it was a crisis that required urgent cooperation between the federal and provincial governments. "