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.