Monday, September 25, 2017

They Knew...

AllYourLaunderings
'RUsVille


I have to admit it.

I was disappointed by Sam Cooper's first Postmedia piece on all that suspicious cash that had washed up at the base of Bridgeport Station.

But, as for Mr. Cooper's latest, published late today/Monday?

Well that is something else entirely. Here is his lede:

In October 2015, former B.C. finance minister Mike de Jong wrote to the B.C. Lottery Corp. and warned that for B.C. casinos “large and suspicious transactions remain prevalent,” Postmedia has learned.

At that time, de Jong also directed BCLC board chair Bud Smith to “enhance customer due diligence to mitigate the risk of money laundering” in B.C. casinos, according to information cited in a May 2017 government letter to BCLC CEO Jim Lightbody.

The direction from de Jong in 2015 came after B.C. casino operators reported about $177 million in suspicious cash entering their casinos in 2014, government documents show.

“Despite the introduction and promotion of non-cash alternatives in gaming facilities through earlier phases of the anti-money laundering strategy; I am advised that large and suspicious cash transactions remain prevalent. This situation must be addressed,” de Jong’s October 1, 2015 letter to BCLC states.

The information — revealed in documents obtained by Postmedia after a freedom of information request — raises questions about why serious internal concerns about the laundering of proceeds of crime in B.C. casinos were only released last week by the B.C. government, and whether a dangerous problem was allowed to fester for too long...



And don't forget, it was the BC Liberal government and the then Minister responsible, Mr. Rich Coleman, that dismantled the integrated illegal gambling enforcement team that could have curtailed this way back in...

...2009.

Yes.

You read that right.

2009.


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It's important to remember that, despite what Postmedia would like you to think (based on editorialish-type insertions into their reporter's copy, that it was Bob Mackin that first broke this story. 
Also, I find it interesting that so few proMedia members are going back to 2009, a time when a whole lotta BCL crony-assisted Casino Industrial Complexification was getting set to go down under the cover of what would become a $500 million bit of magic carpet in the sky....Kind of reminscent of the fine Club members that refuse(d) to connect the dots on big money donations and downstream decisions favourable to said donors.


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19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Everything Rich Coleman touches turns to dust.

I am REALLY hoping he wins the B.C. Liberal leadership.

davemj said...

I hope there will be a full investigation into De Jong, Colman, Clark, Dep Ministers, and any politicians, Casino Mgmt etc, The corrupt Liarbels has to be K.O,d once and for all the people should demand a public inquiry and all the guilty prosecuted to the full extent of the law, not like the B.C.R cover up maybe the mainstream media and criminal liars that work for them should be included. Geeze this Province is a mess after these political Whore masters!

Len said...

You forgot the biggest whore master of them all GORDON SCUMBALL who has the order of B.C.

Anonymous said...

Well Ross it is interesting that de Jong wrote a letter to BCLC, especially since he had a complete aversion to writing anything down. If the letter exists, maybe Postmedia could publish it. RG

RossK said...

Heckuva point RG.

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Anonymous said...

"In October 2015, former B.C. finance minister Mike de Jong wrote to the B.C. Lottery Corp. and warned that for B.C. casinos “large and suspicious transactions remain prevalent,” Postmedia has learned."

Every surviving and devious politician knows that an escape hatch is necessary when the sh-t hits the fan. The two attributes are high on Mr. de jung's list. Consequently, that's one letter that Mr. de Jung made sure was not triple deleted and was not followed up on.

North Van's Grumps said...

FINTRAC stops us from depositing one dollar over $10,000 at our local bank and yet the Casino's act like a financial institution without a thresh hold, with any overseeing by the authorities, federally or provincially.

Who is it that advised former finance minister Mike de Jong to not release the report because it would tip off those who were laundering $177 million and they would change their tactics?

Someone from within the BC Liberal donors list? Private functions, one on one with the bc Liberal ministers/premier?

The amount of $20 bills that have been accepted, $13 million, has been described as being 10 stories high??? Just how many 10 stories have been carried into the Casinos in suitcases without anyone noticing the oddity?

Maybe there's a comparison to be made here between laundering illegally gained money and counting it in the stories of buildings .... and Site C dam having already wracked up over $1 Billion to get it past the point of no return.

Lew said...

If de Jong was all worked up about money laundering, Christy wasn’t. Otherwise she might have mentioned it in her mandate letters to her Attorney General or her Solicitor General a month after his letter to BCLC.

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/government/ministries-organizations/premier-cabinet-mlas/minister-letter/mike_morris_mandate_letter.pdf

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/government/ministries-organizations/premier-cabinet-mlas/minister-letter/suzanne_anton_mandate_letter.pdf

Who did de Jong copy on his letter?

North Van's Grumps said...

@Lew

Mike Morris Mandate Letter dated:
December 12, 2015

I ask you to build on the work of Minister Anton and for the remainder of the year your mandate is as follows: etc...

However, there are only 31 days in December, which means Mike only had to work 19 days, eh

Was there a new Mandate letter written for January 2016?

Lew said...

@ North Van Grumps:

Can't find any for ministers beyond 2015. Maybe they just dropped everything and fundraised.

North Van's Grumps said...

Mandate Letters Index 2014

234 Hits @ Mandate BC Government 2017 - 2018 BC Legislative Library HORIZON

RossK said...

Lew & NVG--

But we know that this bunch rarely did the things they actually wrote down, right?


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Willy said...

Bud Smith you say......I took a step into the time travel machine

https://www.biv.com/article/2013/7/bud-smith-named-new-board-chair-of-bc-lottery-corp/

https://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/BC-Politics/2011/07/21/BCPhoneScandal/

Willy said...

Ooops- I hope the pond scum doesn't stain the carpet.

Anonymous said...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/former-b-c-casino-investigator-calls-suspicious-transactions-shocking-1.2804418

Lew said...

@RossK:

Right. And frequently didn't write down things they did.

Members in good standing of the proMedia club are supposed to fully inform us of both. Not a slanted little bit of each. Which of course is why your efforts are so valuable.

Len said...

Remember everyone,that ten story stack of 20s'came in one month...what about the other 11 months of 2015?

Len said...

Ross,have you noticed the tee vee news is all over the NDP for using tax payer dollars for advertising themselves....i wonder if it's because the adds arent on the tee vee stations...lol

RossK said...

Len--

Ha!

Hadn't thought of that.


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