BASI'S POT CHARGES STAYED

Marijuana charges laid against former B.C. Liberal cabinet aide David Basi
have been stayed.

But Basi still faces a variety of corruption charges in B.C. Supreme Court
arising out of the December 2003 police raid on the B.C. legislature.

Earlier this week a stay of proceedings was filed with the court on charges
of possession of an illegal substance (marijuana) for the purpose
trafficking and production of an illegal substance (marijuana).

Both those charges arose after a police raid in 2004 on a Shawnigan Lake
property owned by Basi and rented out. Seven other people from B.C. and
Ontario were also charged with various offences in connection with the same
investigation.

Basi's lawyer, Michael Bolton of Vancouver, said in a telephone interview
Wednesday he and his client have always maintained Basi is completely
innocent of all charges.

Furthermore, Basi was able to provide information to the Crown that the
investigation had not uncovered, said Bolton.

Basi's name first started appearing in headlines in 2003 after uniformed
Victoria police officers raided the legislature building, taking away boxes
of documents and files.

Basi, one-time assistant to former finance minister Gary Collins, was fired.
His brother-in-law, Bobby Virk, one-time assistant to former transportation
minister Judith Reid, was suspended and later fired.

Both men are facing charges of accepting bribes, breach of trust and fraud,
which are alleged to have occurred in connection with the government sale of
B.C. Rail.

A third man, Basi's cousin Aneal Basi, a former Ministry of Transport
employee, is also facing a charge of money-laundering in connection with the
same case.

Trial for those charges has been scheduled for November.