David Eby asks B.C. Liberals to release confidential documents on money laundering
CBC News | Posted: August 10, 2018 5:47 PM | Last Updated: August 10, 2018
Request follows contention from former minister that Liberals did 'everything we could' to crack down
B.C.'s attorney general is asking members of the previous Liberal government to waive cabinet privilege and allow access to all documents related to money laundering.
In a letter addressed to Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson on Friday, David Eby said he believes those documents would help the current NDP government end laundering in B.C.'s casinos and throughout the province's economy.
"It is our government's desire to continue to aggressively pursue measures to counter money laundering, but to do so in a manner that does not duplicate unsuccessful efforts from previous governments," Eby wrote.
The letter quotes a recent comment from B.C.'s former solicitor general, Rich Coleman, who said his government did "everything we could" to crack down on money laundering.
Nonetheless, a report released in June alleged that a "collective systemic failure" cleared the way for casinos in the Lower Mainland to become "laundromats" for proceeds of crime.
That report, written by former RCMP Deputy Commissioner Peter German, said more than $100 million has been laundered in B.C.
The Liberal caucus has yet to respond to requests for comment on Eby's letter.