HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html
Pubdate: Tue, 21 Dec 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 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) FORMER COLLINS AIDE TO APPEAR IN COURT ON MARIJUANA CHARGES JAN. 26 VICTORIA - A former high-ranking aide to the B.C. finance minister whose legislature office was searched by police last December will appear in court in January on pot charges. Dave Basi is scheduled to appear in Victoria provincial court on Jan. 26. He faces charges of marijuana production and possession of marijuana for the purposes of trafficking. A Victoria justice of the peace set Basi's January court date Monday after a brief court hearing. Basi did not appear in court. The charges arose from the joint RCMP-Victoria police investigation that led to a spinoff breach-of-trust investigation that saw officers raid the legislature last Dec. 28. A summary of the information to obtain the search warrant released last fall said the legislature raid involved allegations that Basi and colleague Bob Virk traded government inside information on the privatization of BC Rail for job recommendations with the federal Liberal government. Basi was working for Gary Collins, former house leader and finance minister, when the police raid occurred. He was fired the day after the raid. Virk, a former ministerial assistant to former transportation minister Judith Reid, has been suspended with pay since last December. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek