Pubdate: Tue, 06 Jan 2004
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 The Vancouver Sun
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Lindsay Kines, Victoria Times Colonist

MAN ARRESTED IN RAID LEAVES COUNTRY

Police Decline To Name Person But Departure Isn't Of Particular
Concern, Victoria Chief Battershill Says

VICTORIA -- One of nine people arrested in the drug case linked to the
raid on the B.C. legislature has left the country, Victoria Police
Chief Paul Battershill said Monday.

"We're not naming the individual," he said. "We're not saying where he
went but we are aware one individual has left the country."

Battershill said the departure of the man, who was arrested in
Victoria, is not of particular concern.

"Eventually, if charges are laid, there would be a process in place to
return the person."

Battershill said the man was one of nine people arrested in Toronto,
Vancouver and Victoria in the weeks prior to the raid on the B.C.
Legislature.

The people were arrested as part of an investigation into a conspiracy
to transport marijuana to the U.S. and trade it for cocaine, which was
then distributed in Canada.

Battershill said it's common practice now to arrest people without
charge early in a major investigation.

"On large-scale conspiracies now, it's necessary to put together a
fairly large disclosure package.

"So a process that's been in place, the last few years, is that the
search warrants are executed and the persons are told what they're
being investigated for.

"The evidence is collected and then the entire package is put together
and forwarded to federal Crown."

Battershill said the people can be interviewed at the time of arrest,
or simply be taken into custody so the warrants can be carried out
properly.

"In some circumstances, if they're cooperative, it's not necessary to
arrest them."

The arrests were a result of a 20-month investigation by Victoria
police and the RCMP into illegal drugs, organized crime, commercial
crime and police corruption.

Evidence uncovered during the probe lead to a spinoff investigation,
that resulted in several search warrants being executed Dec. 28 in
Victoria and the Lower Mainland.

Battershill has confirmed the drug investigation is connected to the
suspension with pay on Dec. 15 of Victoria police Constable Ravinder
Dosanjh.

He said there is an "indirect relationship" between the suspended
officer and one of two ministerial assistants raided at the
legislature.

The drug probe is targeting a suspected influential Victoria
trafficker related to Dosanjh.

The alleged trafficker is also a relative of a Vancouver resident who
has worked on provincial and federal Liberal campaigns and was
involved in Prime Minister Paul Martin's B.C. campaign.

The RCMP says the warrants were issued to search seven
premises.

Police will not reveal the locations of the searches, but The Sun has
learned they include:

- - The legislature offices of Finance Minister Gary Collins'
ministerial assistant Dave Basi and Transportation Minister Judith
Reid's ministerial assistant Bob Virk.

Basi has since been fired, and Virk has been suspended with
pay.

- - The Victoria home of Basi, who is also a key federal Liberal
organizer.

- - The Victoria office of Pilothouse Public Affairs director Brian
Kieran, and the Vancouver office of the lobbying firm's other
director, Erik Bornman. Bornman is communications director of the B.C.
chapter of the federal Liberal party.

- - The Vancouver home office of Bruce Clark, the brother of Deputy
Premier Christy Clark and the main fund raiser for the B.C. chapter of
the federal Liberals.

Clark says he is not a suspect, but had documents of interest to
police.

- - Another home office in the Lower Mainland.

The RCMP visited the Port Moody home office of Christy Clark's
husband, Mark Marissen, who said officers did not have a warrant and
told him he was an "innocent recipient" of certain documents.

Marissen said he searched his own computer for the documents of
interest to police, and then handed them over.

The so-called Basi boys -- a close-knit group of young Indo-Canadian
Liberal activists known to have delivered substantial Sikh support to
Martin's leadership campaign -- were very involved in the takeover of
the Vancouver South riding of federal MP Herb Dhaliwal by Martin backers.

Dhaliwal, a cabinet minister under former prime minister Jean Chretien
who has now been reduced to an MP on the verge of retirement, said
Monday both the province and the federal government need to answer
some questions.

"I think the premier of British Columbia must have some tough
questions for his ministers as to what their knowledge was in some of
their political assistants participating in my riding, in an era where
the executive was thrown out," Dhaliwal said.

Dhaliwal, once the top federal MP in B.C., said it could hurt the
federal government if Martin doesn't clarify the links between the
raids and some of his top officials in this province.

For example, Dhaliwal said, Marissen holds the important task of
ensuring the party has good candidates in the next election.

"I think that unless some of these questions are answered, it would
make it difficult for [Marissen] to continue his job and it will hurt
the Liberal party," Dhaliwal said.

Marissen says that, based on his discussion with police, he
understands "there is no organized crime or drug connection to the
federal government or to officials within the party or to the Paul
Martin campaign."

"The documents [police] asked for were not related to the Liberal
party's or to the Paul Martin campaign's organizational or
fund-raising activities," Marissen said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin