BASI CHARGED WITH RUNNING A GROW-OP

A former ministerial aide whose legislature office was raided by police last
December is among eight people charged yesterday with drug offences.

David Basi is charged with possessing and growing marijuana related to the
seizure of pot last Dec. 28 from a house he owned at Shawnigan Lake.

Basi's lawyer Chris Considine said the house was rented to a third party
"who apparently had a marijuana grow operation."

Basi said in a statement: "I would like to state unequivocally and without
hesitation that I have not cultivated marijuana and I am not guilty of the
charges.

"I intend to see this matter through to the end so that I am fully cleared
and my family and I are able to end this terrible nightmare."

Until December, Basi was a prominent aide to provincial Finance Minister
Gary Collins, who is also the Liberal house leader. Basi was fired after
police raided his office at the legislature as part of a federal drugs and
money-laundering investigation.

During the investigation, evidence regarding Basi and Robert Virk, an aide
to former transport minister Judith Reid, suggested a possible breach of
trust.

That led to allegations that the two men had traded inside information on
the privatization of B.C. Rail for job recommendations with the federal
government. Those allegations have not, so far, resulted in charges, and the
investigation continues.

Virk has been suspended with pay. Basi, now working at odd jobs to support
his family, accepted a settlement from the government.

Both men were prominent organizers in B.C.'s Indo-Canadian community for the
leadership campaign of Paul Martin as he sought to succeed Jean Chretien as
prime minister.

The drug charges arise from a joint RCMP and Victoria police investigation
launched in summer 2002 into the trafficking of cocaine and production of
marijuana in Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto.

"We have to keep the two investigations separate," RCMP Sgt. John Ward said.

"We began our investigations on the drug side in the summer of 2002 and as a
result of that it led us to begin an investigation that took us to offices
at the [legislature].

"That has become a separate investigation into allegations of breach of
trust and money laundering."

Basi, 37, is to appear in court in November.

In addition to the marijuana charges against Basi, John Scallon and Michael
Doyle are charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine. Jasmohan Bains, Brahm
Mikol, Blythe Vernon and Scallon are each charged with one count of
conspiracy to traffic cocaine, between September and December 2003. Charged
with conspiracy to traffic in marijuana are Jaspal Singh and Mandeep Sandhu.

Considine, Basi's lawyer, said in an interview it was "apparently necessary"
for charges to be laid against Basi before any further review of the
evidence could take place with authorities.

"In order to try to sort this situation out, we can't have any further
discussion with the Crown until certain information is released, and it
can't be released because of the nature of the situation until the charges
have been laid, and they were then able to get an order for release,"
Considine said.

"It's the first time I have come across this, to be frank."

Collins, Basi's former boss, said the charges were upsetting.

"It's obviously disturbing, but I think it's where, with all the
speculation, the investigation seemed to be going," he said. He noted that
police have said their investigation does not involve elected officials.

The breach-of-trust allegations were contained in documents released last
Friday by Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm after eight months of court
hearings on an application by news outlets to unseal them.

Special prosecutor Bill Berardino said he will make a decision on charges
before the end of the year.

The information alleges Basi and Virk accepted help from a lobbyist to get
federal government jobs and in return agreed to provide information on the
sale of B.C. Rail.